Breath of the Dragon
by truthbetold09
Summary: Eden Cousland never thought she would be in her current position. An orphan. A Grey Warden. A lover. But things are always changing. And now she has to fight the Blight without any guidance. Failure is not an option, because failure means the end of everything. Will she be able to save the world? And who will save her? F!Cousland/Alistair
1. The Couslands

Sweat dripped from my brow to the ground below me. My chest heaved as I drew in air. The two soldiers positioned themselves on either side of me. I had only a few moments to prepare before they attacked. I flipped backward out of the way as they both closed the distance between themselves and me. I threw the dagger in my left hand at the soldier rushing toward me with his longsword raised. It stuck in the gap between his chest plate and shoulder guard, making him drop his sword. The second soldier gave out a war cry and ran forward bringing his sword down in a great arc. I side stepped to the right at the last second but he was quick to recover and swung his right fist at my face. I ducked and kicked his legs out from underneath of him. As he fell I launched myself upward and landed on top of his chest my dagger digging into his throat.

Laughter sounded from somewhere behind me. I turned to see Ser Gilmore walking toward us in his armor.

"If you keep handling your father's men like that, my lady, there won't be any left."

I got off the soldier and offered him a hand up. He grunted his thanks and went to help his fellow remove my dagger from his shoulder.

"What fun would that be?" I asked, a smirk forming on my lips. Ser Gilmore shook his head with a smile.

"As you say, my lady."

"What did you want Ser Gilmore?" A pained yell followed my question as my dagger was pulled from soldier number one.

"Your father sent me after you. He wants you to see him in the Great Hall." Ser Gilmore said.

"Alright." I sighed, "I'll leave at once." I left the training yard and headed straight to the Great Hall. I wondered what Father would want from me. He was supposed to be leaving with Fergus and our men for Ostagar in the south once Arl Howe arrived with his. The past few days had been filled with preparations for their departure and Father had made sure I wasn't apart of any of that. He knew it still bothered me that I wasn't going with them. I was a teryn's daughter and had the best training possible. I could handle myself! I stopped in front of the door to the Great Hall and calmed myself. If I went in there with a temper already stewing it would only make matters worse. I opened the door and saw my father standing in front of the hall's dais talking to someone. As I made my way forward I realized that the man Father was talking to was Arl Rendon Howe. So he had finally arrived. That meant that Father and Fergus would be off soon.

"Ah! There you are, Pup. Ser Gilmore found you, then." Father said.

"Eden, what a…_pleasure_ it is to see you again." Arl Howe said, a smile on his lips but his nose wrinkled in displeasure. I was hardly a sight to behold clad in dirt, sweat and light armor.

"Arl Howe. I'm glad you've made it safely to Highever. What was it that you wanted, Father?"

"Well, Pup, the Arl's men have been delayed and I need you to tell Fergus to take the men south without me. I will stay here until the Arl's men arrive and then we'll go south together, just like old times." Father told me.

"Though we were both younger then and had a lot less gray in our hair." Howe laughed.

"Where is Fergus?" I asked.

"Probably upstairs with his wife and my grandson, saying his goodbyes." Father said. "I'll need you to stay here and run the castle for me while we're gone. You understand, right Pup?"

"I've never been good at those things. I can fight! I _want_ to fight!" I pleaded with Father. Arl Howe laughed again.

"She sounds just like her mother when she talks like that!"

"Please, Pup. Do this for me?" Father asked. I looked into his eyes.

"Yes, Father." At my consent a door opened across the hall. An older man dressed in white robes with light armor over top walked in followed by a man I judged to be close to my own age who wore scale armor. The older of the two had tan skin and dark brown hair tied up in the back and a beard on his face that had a few streaks of gray in it. The younger man had short sandy blonde hair and was clean shaven. He seemed a bit nervous.

"Duncan! I hadn't expected you this early. Pup, this is Duncan of the Grey Wardens."

"Greetings Teryn! The weather was fairer than I had originally expected and we made good time. Might I introduce my fellow Grey Warden, Alistair." Duncan gestured to the nervous man.

"Well met, Alistair. This is Arl Rendon Howe of Amaranthine." Father said gesturing to Howe, who bowed graciously.

"And this is my daughter, Eden." Duncan looked at me with a warm smile.

"My lady." Duncan said with a bow.

"It's an honor to meet you." I said.

"Duncan is here looking for recruits. He has his eye on Ser Gilmore." Father informed us.

"I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Lady Eden's sparring match earlier. She has great skill. If I might be so bold as to suggest that she would make a promising recruit as well." Duncan said with an air of testing the waters. Alistair shifted uncomfortably behind Duncan as my father stepped in front of me protectively.

"I have not so many children that I would see them all off to war." Father said sternly as if that settled the matter. Howe was watching with eyes as sharp as a hawk's. Father turned to me and grabbed me by both shoulders gently. He locked his steely grey eyes with my bright silver ones.

"Go find Fergus, Pup. Duncan, Arl Howe and I have things to discuss. I'll find you later."

"Alright, Father." I conceded. I made my way out of the hall with Duncan's words ringing in my ears. _Me? A Grey Warden?_ I was so lost in my thoughts that when I rounded the corner I walked straight into Ser Gilmore, who caught my arms before I had the chance to fall backward.

"I'm so sorry, my lady! Are you alright?!" Ser Gilmore asked, panicked.

"I'm fine. And don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." I said, trying to ease his worry.

"In that case, I'm glad we bumped into each other. I was just coming to tell you that your mabari has gotten into the larder again and Nan's pitching a fit. Your mother wanted me to ask you to fetch him before Nan tears the castle walls down." He said. I sighed deeply.

"Care to accompany me, Ser Gilmore?" I asked.

"Absolutely, my lady."

As we made our way to the kitchens Nan's shouts started to become louder and louder. She really was angry. Ser Gilmore and I exchanged amused looks. My hound, Dracarius was always getting under Nan's skirts. He seemed to enjoy it. We entered the kitchen to Nan bellowing at the elven servants.

"I told you to get that bloody hound out of there!"

"But Mistress, he won't let anyone near the larder." One of the elves whimpered.

"Hello Nan." I said.

"You! You get your bloody dog out of there before I skin him and feed _him_ to all the soldiers tonight!' She shouted, turning her fury on me. I grunted and walked into the larder to see Dracarius pacing back and forth in front of some crates whining.

"Causing a fuss are you, boy?" I giggled. But when he didn't look up at the sound of my voice, I knew there was something off. A faint scratching noise came from behind one of the crates.

"What was that?" Ser Gilmore asked as we both drew our weapons. No sooner had he asked than several rats the size of cats burst forth into the open and came rushing at our feet. Ser Gilmore sliced one in half with his longsword while I stabbed a couple onto my dagger like a skewer. But more were coming out. Dracarius howled and bounded forward picking up rat after rat into is jaws, clamping down and shaking them like dolls before throwing them to side. Before long we had all the rats killed and were cleaning off our weapons while Dracarius licked the blood from his jowls and paws.

"Those were rats from the Korcarri Wilds." Ser Gilmore said.

"What were they doing all the way up here in Highever?" I asked him.

"I don't know. But its best not to tell Nan, she's got enough to worry about." He said. We got up off the floor and head back into the kitchens with Dracarius at my heels.

"Look! There he is bold as brass, licking his chops! I bet you got into the roast didn't you? Had your self a nice little feast, huh?" She chastised the dog.

"He's just a dog, Nan. He'll behave, I promise." I said, trying to appease her.

"Just get him out of here; I have a lot of work to do." She resigned. So Ser Gilmore, Dracarius and I left heading back toward the hallway that led to the family bedchambers.

"This is where I leave you, my lady. Duncan wishes to see my skills with a blade and you have family business to attend to." He bowed and left for the training yards. I headed up the hallway and when I came to a landing, I found my mother standing with the young Grey Warden, Alistair.

"Hello Mother." I said as I approached.

"Eden! I trust you sorted out that business with Nan and your dog?" She asked. In her younger days, my mother had been a battle maiden and fought in the war against Orlais alongside my father who was quite taken by her. And who wouldn't be? Even now my mother was a vision to behold. She had long dark brown hair that was wrapped in elegant dual buns at the base of her head and sparkling blue eyes like the ocean on a sunny day.

"Of course. Nan is back to work as we speak." I said.

"Wonderful! I knew you would set things right. Your father was wise to leave you in charge of the castle while he's gone." She said with a warm smile. My mother looked at Alistair with small grin that told me she had something up her sleeve.

"I believe you know Alistair, darling?" She said, grinning even broader.

"We were introduced." I told her, holding out my hand for him to shake. He took my hand in his and an odd sensation rushed through me. He bent down and kissed the back of my hand and the sensation washed over me again, a little more intense.

"It's my pleasure, my lady." His voice had the hint of a laugh in it. For some reason, it made me smile. I looked into his eyes. They were a deep brown. Like melted chocolate. I didn't realize I was staring until I head my mother clear her throat behind Alistair. I startled and looked at her. She had a very smug look on her face.

"Have you seen Fergus, Mother?" I asked. My face felt hot and I knew I was blushing.

"He's in his room with Oren and Oriana." Mother gave me a look that I wasn't entirely sure I liked. So I excused myself and walked further up the hallway, a little faster than necessary. When I reached Fergus' room I could hear the laughter of my nephew, Oren. Oren was precious to me. I knew the way the Arls and Banns in the court thought. I knew that they would never allow their wives to wear armor or fight in battle and Maker forbid they speak their minds. And I knew I didn't want that for my life. Without a husband, children were out of the question. Oren was all I had. I stepped into the room to see my brother, Fergus, laughing as well. Oriana was shaking her head but a smile played on her lips.

"Having all the fun, are we?" I asked.

"Eden! Come to see me off?" Fergus asked, laughter still in his voice.

"Father wanted me to tell you to take the men south without him."

"So the Arl's men are delayed then? You'd think they were all walking backwards."

"Papa, are you going to fight the monsters?" Oren asked.

"I'm going to slay the monsters, son. And when I get back, I'll teach you how to slay them too." Fergus told him as he met him at eye-level.

"Fergus! He's only 8! He can't even wield a sword yet!" Oriana exclaimed, clearly exasperated. Fergus only laughed at her dismay.

"All in good time, love." He told her, melting her icy glare almost instantly. The door opened again and in walked my mother and father.

"Here you all are." Father said.

"You could have given Fergus the message yourself, Father." I told him.

"And miss the chance to have both my children in the same place? I think not." He laughed.

"Oh Fergus, do be careful." Mother said, placing a hand on his face.

"I will. You make sure and take care of Mother, Eden." He directed at me.

"Mother's more than capable of taking care of herself." I laughed.

"True. They should stick her in the army. She'd scold those darkspawn right back underground." Father laughed.

"Enough, enough. Now that we've all said our goodbyes, I think I'll head back downstairs and discuss more strategy with Arl Howe. Pup, you should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Getting sent off to bed, are we?" Fergus smirked.

"Enjoy that nice long march in the cold." I told him, mirroring his own smirk. He laughed again and with that, I left for my room across the hall. I hadn't realized how tired I was until I stepped into the warm bath that the servants had drawn for me. Dracarius settled himself into his bed in the corner while I scrubbed the dirt and sweat from myself. It wasn't long before I left the bath and put on some small clothes before crawling into my bed. Sleep took me soon enough.

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**A/N:** Alright, before you all chase me down with pitchforks and torches, this story is AU. There are other major aspects from DA:O that will not be the same as the game. But you'll just have to keep reading to find out what those are. ;) And I know, I got rid of Landra, Dairren and Iona and inserted Alistair instead. I felt like Landra and her family were a bit superfluous and I wanted Alistair there at the beginning to sort of witness the pain Eden is about to go through, because she's not the type to talk it all out. Well, please rate and review. It means a lot! Thank you!


	2. Betrayal

_****_**A/N: **This is a rather bloody chapter, so for those of you who aren't into that sort of thing; beware. Please review! Thank you!

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_**BOOM…**_

_**BOOM…**_

_**BOOM…**_

A deep booming sound roused me from my sleep. It shook the castle walls. Instinctively, I knew there was something wrong. I could hear men's voices shouting in the distance. And some that were closer than they should have been. I threw my bear fur blankets off and grabbed the dagger I kept hidden in my vanity, then scaled the posts of my bed and rolled onto the thick, strong canvas of my canopy, waiting.

Dracarius perked his head as the voices of men came closer. He let out a low, rumbling growl. Just then, two soldiers threw my door open and rushed in with their blades raised. Dracarius barked and launched himself at the second soldier to enter, taking him down and tearing flesh from bone. I took that opportunity to position myself before leaping onto the back of the distracted first soldier and ramming my dagger into the spot where his neck and back met. Warm blood flowed out of the wound and over his shoulders. I twisted my blade and severed his spine, killing him instantly.

I looked up to see Dracarius staring at me, jowls covered blood. The soldier he took down wasn't stirring and was either dead already or would be soon. I got up and quickly donned the armor I had discarded earlier, before my bath. My weapons were in the trunk at the foot of my bed. I strapped them to the holsters on either side of my waste, and attached a small satchel full of bandages and poultices as well as miasmic gas bombs and small throwing knives to the small of my back. I stooped to examine the man I had killed. Shock almost knocked me over when I realized that this soldier was wearing the armor of Arl Howe's men. None of it made sense. Dracarius barked as the sound of someone running reached my ears. I unsheathed my long daggers from their holsters and faced the entrance to my room, ready for more. I relaxed, however, when my mother entered the room in her battle armor with a long bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

"Oh thank the Maker; you're alright! I heard noises and shouts and feared the worst!" She exclaimed, relief flooding her face.

"I'm fine, Mother. What about you? Howe's men didn't get to you, did they?!" I asked her.

"Howe's men?! What are you talking about?" She said, perplexed.

"The men who attacked me are wearing Howe's men's armor!" I almost yelled, gesturing wildly to the two dead men on my bedroom floor. Another boom shook the floors.

"We have to find your father; he'll know what's going on." She tried to reassure me. I sighed and looked up across the hall. The door to Fergus' room was ajar. Panic welled in me like I'd never felt before. _No._ I pushed past Mother and ran across the hall toward Fergus' room. I stopped just short of the door, afraid of what I might find inside. But I had to know. I pushed the door open the rest of the way and the sight that met my eyes brought me to my knees.

"NO! NOT MY LITTLE OREN!" Mother wailed behind me. On the floor in front of the bed laid Oren in a pool of his own blood. There was a gaping hole in his back where the sword had run him through. On the bed was Oriana. Beaten, bloody and lifeless. My whole body had gone numb. Mother stepped over me and knelt next to Oren, tears falling from her eyes. She brushed some of his hair off of his face. The same dark brown hair that belonged to Fergus, my mother and me. I didn't realize that I was shaking or that Dracarius had lain next to me and placed his head in my lap. I didn't hear Mother's terrible, pained wails. My world had come crashing down. Only hours ago I was listening to Oren's sweet laughter. Laughter that I would never hear again. Mother was shaking my shoulders and saying something to me. I looked up at her and saw pain and concern in her eyes.

"Eden! We must find your father!" She said with urgency. I stood up.

"There's a good girl. Come now, there's no telling where your father is and what's happened to the rest of the castle. If Howe's men made it this far then we have to assume that walls have been breached." She said. _Howe._ Rage bubbled in me.

"I'll kill him." I growled.

"Later, darling, later. For now, we look for your father."

With that we left Oren and Oriana behind and headed toward the sounds of battle. We turned a corner, heading for the Great Hall when we encountered four more of Howe's men trying to force their way through a door. I needed to hurt someone. I reached into the satchel at my back and pulled out a miasmic gas bomb. I tossed it up in front of me, spun and kicked the flask with as much force as I could toward the soldiers. It sailed threw the air and burst over the head of the soldier at the back. He grabbed his face and started coughing and wretching all down the back of one of his fellows. Mother knocked an arrow and let it sail right into the wretching soldier's chest. He fell to the stone floor, dead. I unsheathed my daggers and ran at the rest of them, Dracarius at my heels.

The soldier covered in sick didn't have enough time to pull out his sword before I slit his throat. Blood sprayed from the slash into my face. It had a metallic taste to it. I twisted and buried my other dagger into the chest of the soldier to my right. One of Mother's arrows whirred past my ear and into his face. Dracarius had the last one pinned on the ground and was tearing at his throat. I looked into his eyes as blood began to gurgle from his mouth. He reached one desperate hand out to me, begging me to end his pain. I did nothing but watch as Dracarius did his work, wondering if this was the one who killed Oren. When the man was dead, Dracarius stopped.

"Darling?" Mother asked. I looked up from the last soldier's lifeless eyes at the door he was trying to force his way through.

"What were they trying to get at?" I asked Mother.

"That's the family vault. We can't let Howe get his hands on the family sword and shield. Come, I have the key." She said.

We entered the vault and retrieved the items. The family sword was long and old, but strong. Made of Valerian steel, it had been in many battles and had not a scratch on it. I strapped the sword across my back so I would still have free movement. Mother took the shield and hung it over her quiver. Another great boom shook the floors and bits of stone dust fell from the ceiling above us.

"Let's go to the Great Hall, darling. Your father might be in there." Mother said. There was a hint of desperation in her voice.

We left the vault and ran through a few more hallways before we came to the door that led into the Great Hall. I could hear voices shouting inside. I turned to Mother and gave her a look that told her to be prepared for whatever was on the other side. I kicked open the door and saw Ser Gilmore standing in front of the dais, ordering a few Highever soldiers to fortify the main door.

"Ser Gilmore!" I shouted. He had a few cuts on his brow and cheeks but was otherwise unharmed.

"My lady! Teryna! Thank the Maker you're both alright! I had feared that Howe's men had made it through." He said, relieved.

"They did. Oren and Oriana are dead." I told him. My voice sounded strange and hollow.

"Where's Bryce? Where is the Teryn?" Mother begged him.

"He went looking for the two of you. I begged him not to leave; he had been badly injured. But he insisted that he had to find you. The castle has been surrounded. Arl Howe has betrayed us." Ser Gilmore said. I looked to Mother. She seemed deep in thought.

"The larder!" She shouted, "He must have thought we'd go to the servants' passage in the larder!"

"Then we have to go after him." I said.

"Come with us, Ser Gilmore." Mother asked. I locked eyes with him and knew by the sadness in them, what he would say.

"I cannot, my ladyship. The men need me here to hold the door. I may be able to buy you time, however." I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Thank you. Maker, watch over you." I said.

"And you, my lady. Be safe."

He smiled after us as we left the Great Hall for the larder. As we made our way through the halls, we started stepping over dead Howe soldiers. _Did Father do all of this? Was he really as injured as Ser Gilmore thought?_ We found the kitchen door in no time and walked inside. It was completely empty. Nan and the servants must have escaped out of the passage when the battle began.

"Over there." I said to Mother and pointed to the larder door. We made our way through.

"BRYCE!" Mother shouted. I followed her line of vision and saw Father half lying on the ground, clutching a bleeding wound in his size.

"There you both are." He coughed. We ran to him.

"Maker's breath; what happened?!" She asked.

"Howe's men attacked us. That snake waited until all of our forces had gone south and then tried to seize Highever for himself! If Duncan and Alistair hadn't been there to help me, I wouldn't have made it this far." Father said.

"I have bandages. We can get you out of here." I said, desperation lacing my voice as I watched more blood seep through my father's fingers.

"I'm afraid there will not be enough time." Said a voice from behind us. I turned to see Duncan and Alistair coming into the room, blood dripping from their blades.

"What do you mean there won't be enough time?" Mother asked him.

"Arl Howe's men have almost breached the main doors. You must leave now, without the Teryn, or I fear you will not all make it out of this castle alive." Duncan

"No!" I shouted. "I won't leave him here to die! We can still save him. I'll carry him if I have to!"

"Hush, Pup." Father said trying to sooth me, but the tone in his voice only made my panic worse. I could feel tears beginning to well in my eyes.

"You and your mother must get out of here alive and tell the King of Howe's betrayal. I will not survive the trip." Tears began to fall in earnest.

"I won't leave you, Bryce." Mother said.

"Eleanor…"

"No, we've had a good life and now it's up to our children. I'll stay here with you and shoot every one of those bastards that come through the door to give them time." Mother handed the shield over to Alistair.

"What?! No! Mother!" I yelled.

"Duncan, you must promise me that you'll get my daughter out of here." Father beseeched him.

"I will, but I require something in return." Duncan said. Why was no one listening to me?!

"Anything." Father said.

"The Blight demands that I leave here with a recruit." Father sighed and dropped his head a little.

"Alright. Just make sure she lives." Father conceded.

"Me?" I asked. How could they be talking about making me a Grey Warden right now?!

"Go with Duncan, Pup."

"Father….please." I begged, tears falling from my eyes and clouding my vision.

"I love you, my darling daughter. We both do; so very much." A tremendous crash was heard and shook the whole castle. The sound of rumbling stone was intermixed with the shouts of many Howe soldiers.

"We must go!" Duncan shouted.

"NO!" I screamed. I was lifted off my knees and by two pairs of hands. Alistair and Duncan started dragging me into the passage. I thrashed against their grips, screaming after my parents. I threw a wild punch that connected with Duncan's jaw, causing him to loosen his hold. We were in the tunnel now and I tried to run toward the entrance. Someone lifted me off my feet, threw my over their shoulder and began running in the opposite direction with Dracarius behind him.

"**NO**!" I screamed, tears pouring down my cheeks.

There was another thunderous crash that shook the tunnel so violently that the person holding me had to stop running and set me down. I took two steps back toward my parents when large stones started to fall from the ceiling. Dracarius bounded toward Duncan and someone shouted my name before grabbing me round the middle and yanking me away from the collapsing ceiling.

When I looked back up the passage had been completely blocked by huge boulders. There was no way back. No way I could get to my parents. No way I could save them. A warm hand touched my shoulder.

"Eden?" It was Alistair.

"Eden, we have to go." He said.

I turned away from the rubble and looked into his eyes. He grabbed my hand and led me down the tunnel. We left the remnants of my home behind. We left the remnants of my family. The remnants of my life.


	3. Arrival

**A/N: ****Sorry for the long wait, here's chapter 3. Enjoy!**

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We walked all night and most of the day, leaving Highever behind. I felt numb. We were about ten miles south of Highever when Duncan stopped abruptly. He walked off to the right of the Imperial Highway into a small wooded area, withdrawing one of his daggers. I wondered for a short moment why Alistair wasn't taking his sword out as well before Duncan reemerged from the woods with three hares in hand. Dinner.

Alistair, Dracarius and I dropped our gear and began to make a small camp off the side of the road as Duncan skinned the food. Alistair stalked off into the woods on the premise of gathering firewood. I followed after him looking for some herbs to add to our meal. I came across a small clearing and was nearly knocked over by the memory.

"_Papa! Look what I found Papa!" Oren shouted as he bolted through a clearing in the woods we traveled on our yearly hunt. _

"_Slow down Oren!" Fergus shouted, wheezing as he tried to keep up._

"_You must really be getting old big brother_. _You can't even keep up with a little boy." I laughed. _

"_Oh hush."_

"_Look Papa! It's a butterfly!" Oren stood there with the butterfly gently flapping its wings against his fingers. _

"Are you alright?"

I looked at Alistair who was standing at the edge of the clearing, his arms full of wood and a look of deep concern on his face. My hand had been clutching my chest but I quickly returned it to my side and left the clearing without uttering a word. It was a stupid question and I wouldn't deign to answer it. What good was talking anyway? It didn't change the fact that my family was dead and my home was in the hands of a traitor.

I returned to our camp and handed Duncan the small amount of herbs I had collected before settling down a few feet away. I pulled out my long daggers and began to sharpen them when Alistair returned. He gave me a furtive look but I ignored him. Taking the hint, he dropped the wood at Duncan's side and started to build a fire. Several swear words and bruised thumb later, Alistair had started a decent fire and the hares were roasting nicely.

All my weapons were now sharp enough to draw blood at the slightest touch and the supplies in my satchel were neatly arranged and accounted for. I started to pull clumps of grass from the ground around me when Duncan handed me a leg from one of the hares. There was a soft, fatherly look in his eyes that made my heart clench with pain. I hastily looked away.

The rest of the night was spent in silence save for the occasional whine from Dracarius. Sleep was fitful. Full of faces that I would never see again asking me why I didn't do more to save them. How I could leave them in the hands of Howe. I sat up again covered in fine sheen of sweat. I could hear Alistair and Duncan breathing slowly, both asleep but Dracarius was awake and alert looking into the woods. I followed his line of vision; the woods looked peaceful and quite. I was just thinking that a walk through them might help to calm me when I saw the unmistakable glint of moonlight on armor. Realization hit me only moments before the men made their move.

"WAKE UP!" I yelled to the others. Dracarius was already bounding toward our attackers, ready for the fight. I grabbed my daggers as the men burst from the tree line. Duncan was up first, a sword in one hand a dagger in the other. Alistair followed shortly after, his long sword ready to be swung. The man who I took to be their leader headed straight for me, shouting to his fellows.

"Kill the others! Leave the little bitch to me!" He snarled as he brought his sword up in an impressive arc. For a moment I was frozen, watching as the sword came down toward me. Someone shouted a warning and I broke out of my stupor with enough time to avoid the death blow but not enough to keep the sword from grazing my shoulder and slicing my upper arm. Warm blood began to run down my arm but I was already on the move. He lifted his weapon again but before he could bring it down, I kicked him in the chest; staggering him and making him drop his sword.

He let out an angry bellow and swung his fist at my face, connecting with my right cheek bone and splitting the skin. Lights popped in front of my eyes from the force of the blow and he was able to land another hit from the opposite direction to my chin. There was a ring on one of his fingers that scrapped my lip, tearing more skin. Anger started to course through my veins. I was letting this idiot get the upper hand. I yelled my frustration and ran for him, tackling him to the ground. Before he could toss me off I dug my daggers deep into his chest again and again and again before I felt a warm hand on my arm. I looked up to see Duncan holding his hand over the cut on my arm to stem the flow of blood. He looked into my eyes and hot tears began to spill out over my cheeks, stinging the split on the right side.

Alistair came over and handed Duncan a piece of paper. I turned my head, not wanting him to see my tears.

"Mercenaries. Hired by Arl Howe to kill Eden and anyone travelling with her." Duncan said as he scanned the paper.

"He doesn't want me to tell anyone what he's done." I said. Duncan looked at me again, the truth of it in his eyes.

"It would seem that way. Come with me, Eden. There's a stream just over the other side of the highway where you can clean up." At his words I looked down at myself to see that I was completely covered in blood.

I couldn't tell where my blood ended and the mercenary's began, so I followed Duncan. It was a short walk and the stream was small and shallow, but there was enough water to wash away all the blood. Before I could start cleaning up, Duncan grabbed my uninjured arm. His dark brown eyes met my silver ones and I felt ashamed.

"I know what you've been through is difficult and I will not ask you to discuss it. Know only that you have not lost all of your family. Your brother may still be alive and you have the Wardens now. If nothing else, we will be your family. Your brothers and sisters in arms. Though I fear you may have more brothers than sisters." With the last sentence he chuckled a bit, and then left for the camp.

I knew that he was right. That hope wasn't entirely lost. Howe would pay for what he had done. Duncan was also right about the Wardens. So I cleaned the blood from my body and armor, then returned to the camp. Alistair beckoned me over by the fire where he sat with bandages in his lap. I sat in front of him and he grabbed my chin with his hand, turning my face to the side to examine my cut cheek and lip. He must have decided that the injuries weren't too severe because he dropped my chin and turned me so my injured arm was facing him. He probed the wound with his fingers a bit and then started to wrap it tightly. I knew this was my opportunity so I pushed aside my pride and spoke.

"Listen, Alistair. I owe you an apology…"

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do. You saved my life and I've done a very poor job of showing my gratitude. I'm sorry for ignoring you when you were only trying to help and I thank you for all that you've done thus far."

"My pleasure." He said with a roguish smile. A warmth spread through me that I wasn't accustomed to and made my cheeks flush. Alistair finished wrapping my arm and Dracarius came over to inspect. He sniffed the bandages and then barked his approval at Alistair.

"We should get some rest." Duncan said. "We'll move on in the morning."

Sleep came faster than I had expected it to and before long Alistair was shaking me awake. We ate the rest of the hare then packed up and left. We traveled until the sun was high in the sky, its warm rays shining down on us. At our pace we would arrive at Ostagar in several days, maybe a week. As I was pondering that, I realized that I knew nothing of the status of the war or the order that I was soon to join.

"Duncan?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

"How are things at Ostagar?"

"Fine, for the moment. Our forces have won every skirmish with the darkspawn thus far, but I fear that the true battle is yet to come."

"What about the Wardens? How many are there? Am I the only recruit? Am I the only female? Is the Warden-Commander at Weisshaupt sending any reinforcements?" The questions tumbled from my lips before I could stop them. Duncan chuckled and Alistair grinned.

"Let's see. There are fifteen Wardens and two other recruits. You are the only female recruit, but there are four female Wardens. The Commander at Weisshaupt has not yet responded to our call for aid."

"Why not?" I asked.

"The Arch Demon has not shown itself yet and he will not risk sending troops to Fereldan if there is a chance that the beast will emerge elsewhere." Duncan explained.

I was about to ask another question when Duncan stopped short again. I followed his gaze and saw a large inn sitting at a crossroads. There was smoke rising from stone chimney and stables off to the side, filled with horses.

"FOOD!" Alistair shouted before running toward the inn. Dracarius barked and ran after him. Duncan and I shared a grin. By the time we reached the door to the inn, Alistair was already inside. He had a bowl of stew in front of him and was shoveling spoonfuls into his mouth with amazing speed. Dracarius was curled up in front of the fire chewing on a turkey leg. I joined Alistair at his table while Duncan went to the bar to talk to the innkeeper. I laughed as Alistair slurped down the last of his soup. He grinned, setting the bowl down. His eyes shifted to a point over my shoulder and I turned to see Duncan walking toward me with two bowls in his hands. Duncan joined us at the table and handed me one of the bowls.

"I have arranged for us to purchase three horses from the stables outside. We will use those for the duration of our journey. Will your hound be able to keep up, Eden?" He asked. I nodded.

"He's faster than he looks." I said, smiling as I glimpsed Dracarius stripping the last of the meat from the turkey leg. I finished my stew quickly, unaware of how hungry I had been. When Duncan was done we thanked the innkeeper, paid her for the horses and went out to choose.

In the stables, there were five horses. I was instantly drawn to a horse that was a deep chestnut brown. I walked over to her and she turned her head in my direction. My hand made its way up her muzzle and between her eyes, feeling the softness of her hair. I could see that they were the same silver color as mine and I knew that she belonged to me. I led her out of the stables and then mounted her, making sure my pack was secured at her rear. Alistair followed me with a white mare and Duncan came out last, on a black stallion. I whistled for Dracarius who burst from the doors of the inn only seconds after the sound left my lips.

"We ride south." Duncan said and with that, we were off.

We made very good time with our horses. We only had to stop a few times to allow the horses to rest and to eat. Bretta, the name I gave my horse, responded to the slightest move I made as if she knew what I was thinking. We would make a great team. We stopped only one more time before coming with sighting distance of the great fort. Even from two miles out, it was an impressive structure. Built by the Avvar to protect the land from possible invasion from the south thousands of years ago, the fort still stood today though a great deal of it had crumbled and broken away. Here we were. Ostagar.

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**So there ya go! I know the thing with Alistair and the white horse was cheezy, but I couldn't help myself ;P As always, please review and let me know what you think. Your feedback is the only way I can make this story better. For those of you who wish to follow my personal updates on the story or would like to ask questions, I have a tumblr account. This is the link: feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know and I'll do my best to answer without letting out spoilers. **

**Thank you all! 3**


	4. Ostagar Part 1

**A/N: This one's a long one. Over 4,000 words. Enjoy!**

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As we drew closer to Ostagar I could glimpse the flags of four companies: the King's Royal Army, the Cousland troops, the Wardens and Teryn Loghain's men. Where were the rest of the kingdom's troops? The other Arls and the Banns? Why hadn't they arrived yet? Before I could put voice to my questions, I was interrupted by the arrival of the King himself. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat and I could hear my mother's voice ringing in my ears. _My goodness Eden, couldn't you have cleaned off __**some**__ of the dirt?_

"Your Majesty!" Duncan greeted.

"Hail, Duncan!" King Cailan replied jovially. I turned to see Alistair trying and failing to make himself look smaller a top his horse. My attention was brought forward by the King's next words.

"This must be the new recruit you spoke of!" He said. Duncan had spoken of me? When?

"Yes. I believe introductions are in order." Duncan said.

"No need. I know you; you're Bryce and Eleanor's youngest, right?" Cailan said, turning to me.

"Yes Your Grace, Eden is my name." I told him with as much grace as I could muster while covered in dust and dirt and smelling like horse.

"Where is your father? I had hoped he would be arriving with Arl Howe soon." My heart gave another painful clench.

"There has been a great tragedy, Your Majesty." I said, but could not continue because a lump had formed in my throat and I was finding it difficult to swallow.

"Arl Howe has proven himself a traitor. He waited until the Cousland troops had left with Lord Fergus and then attacked Highever castle, killing the Teryn and his wife as well as his good-daughter and grandson. We were able to escape using a servants exit." Duncan said for me.

The King put a hand to his chest in shock. I thought for a moment that I saw tears gather in his eyes but when I looked closer, they were gone.

"Where is Fergus?" I asked, regaining my voice. Cailan's face dropped.

"I'm afraid he is in the Wilds with a scouting party and isn't expected to be back until after the battle." He said.

"Battle?" I asked.

"Yes. Our latest reports indicate that the darkspawn are preparing for another feeble assault. It should not last more than a few hours before we send them running again." He said, some of his smile returning.

"I didn't realize things were going so well." I said.

"We're not even sure this is a true Blight. There's been no sign of an Arch Demon." He sighed, "I had hoped for a war like in the tales! A king riding with the fabled Grey Wardens against a tainted god!"

I shared a look with Duncan that told me he was not so disappointed.

"Well, allow me to be the first to welcome you to Ostagar. The Wardens will benefit greatly with you in their ranks. Now I'm must be on my way before Loghain sends out a search party. He wishes to bore me with more of his strategy." King Cailan chuckled one last time and then left with his small company for the heart of the encampment. Duncan sighed and Alistair visibly relaxed.

"I need to speak with the other Wardens. Alistair, gather the other recruits and meet me by the fire in the center of camp. Eden, you are free to explore as you like but I ask that you do not leave Ostagar for the time being."

I nodded my consent before Duncan and Alistair both rode over the large stone bridge that spanned the deep valley that split the fortress of Ostagar in half, Dracarius at their heels. I dismounted from Bretta and led her across the bridge, having no desire to be atop a tall horse on bridge that was already well over a hundred feet from the ground.

As we made our way across the bridge I noticed that there were large chunks missing from the end that faced south toward the Korcarri Wilds. Feeble assaults? There was one chunk that was so large, I had to lead Bretta single file. Once we were across I led her to the stables and set her up in a stall. I left the stables and was making my way around the camp. I was looking at some mages performing some sort of ritual when I walked directly into someone. I looked up to see Teryn Loghain sneering at me.

"My apologi-" I started but Loghain grunted and stalked off in the other direction. A woman clad in fine armor came up to me looking irate.

"That was your better, churl. You would do well not to get in his way again." She threatened. I glared at her. I knew full well who Loghain was and he was certainly not my better. Choosing not to respond to her threats, I brushed past her and headed toward the quarter master. I was in desperate need of supplies, having only what was in my satchel when I left Highever. I was perusing through the quarter master's wares when someone cleared their throat behind me and placed a hand on the small of my back.

"What's a beautiful lass like you doing in this miserable place?" Did he really think that line was going to work? I was about to tell him that if he didn't remove his hand I would do it for him, when Alistair approached with a very irritated look on his face.

"Daveth! I see you've met our other recruit." He said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Other recruit?" Daveth questioned, arcing an eyebrow at me.

"I know you!" Said a man behind Alistair. A knight, from the look of him. "You're Lady Eden Cousland of Highever! My wife is from Highever, I met her during a tourney your father held in honor of the King. My name is Ser Jory, your ladyship."

"Well met, Ser Jory, but I'm not a lady anymore."

"I'd argue that." Daveth said, giving me a once over. Alistair glared.

"Come, we have to speak with Duncan." Alistair said.

It was a short walk from the quarter master to the fire in the center of the camp. We passed the kennels and a Chantry Mother giving prayers to soldiers before the battle. Alistair led the way followed by Jory and then myself. Daveth lingered behind me and I had a feeling it was for less than savory reasons. The fire was large and bright, but the warmth it gave off was a comfort in this chilly southern air. Duncan was standing in front of the fire with his back to us and Dracarius was lying at his side. Alistair cleared his throat as we approached and Duncan turned.

"Good. There is a task that I need the three of you to complete. You must venture into the Korcarri wilds and retrieve no less than three vials of darkspawn blood…"

"Surely there is enough darkspawn blood on the battlefield?" Ser Jory interrupted. Duncan gave him a such a stern look he would have given my mother a run for her money. Jory visibly shrunk.

"I also need you to go to an old Warden tower and collect three scrolls from within a chest. The tower has been long since abandoned, so there may be chasind folk or darkspawn about." Duncan continued.

"How can we be sure that the scrolls are even still there?" I asked.

"The chest was sealed with magic that kept anyone but a Grey Warden from opening it."

"But we aren't Wardens yet, Sir." Daveth said.

"Which is why Alistair will be going with you." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alistair puff his chest out a bit and had to suppress a grin.

Jory gave Duncan a unsure look that made me wary of him. A Knight should be brave and yet here he was, afraid to go into the Wilds and fight the very beasts he was recruited to fight in the first place. I didn't want to take my family sword into the wilds in case it drew the attention of the chasind folk, so I asked Alistair to point me in the direction of the Warden tent. I found it easily enough and stashed the sword in the chest that had Alistair's name on it, as I didn't have one of my own yet.

I returned to my party at the gate to the Wilds. Alistair was talking to a guard who confirmed that we had business out there and gave us leave to enter the Wilds with a dire warning that we had to be back before the battle started. The large, wooden gates were opened and we stepped out into the wilderness in front of us. The Wilds were vast, cold and damp. It smelled of stale water and pine trees. The wind pulled my loose hair around my face and carried the howl of a wolf to my ears. Before I could even turn my head to find the animal, there was the sound of an arrow being released and finding its home in a body. I looked to my party and was surprised to see Daveth with a bow in his hand, looking satisfied. He caught me looking at him and gave me a cheeky smirk.

"Let's move on." Alistair said, rather stiffly.

We walked a short distance into the woods before Jory stopped dead in his tracks and I almost walked into him. I peered around his shoulder to see the source of his sudden stop and what met my eyes made my jaw drop open in shock. A very large section of ground in front of us was stained a very deep red and in the middle was a lone soldier. He was attempting to push himself up to his feet while clutching a wound in his side but kept slipping in the blood that soaked the grass. Alistair and I reached him first.

"Please…help me." He moaned. I reached into my satchel and grabbed the bandages out but before I could begin to dress his wound, Alistair took them from my hands and dressed it himself.

"What happened?" Alistair asked. The man opened his eyes and looked at me.

"Darkspawn. We were on a routine patrol when they…they just came out of the ground. They killed so many…please, I have to get back to camp." The soldier pleaded. We helped him to his feet and watched him make his way toward the wooden gate before Jory spoke.

"An entire patrol of seasoned men, killed by darkspawn!" He said, the fear evident in his eyes.

"Calm down, Ser Jory. We'll be fine if we're careful." Alistair told him.

"Those soldiers were careful, and they were still overwhelmed," Jory exclaimed. "How many darkspawn can the four of us slay? A dozen? A hundred? There's an entire army in this forest!"

Alistair pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes.

"There are darkspawn about, but we're in no danger of walking into the bulk of the horde." He said.

"How do you know?" Jory questioned. "I'm not a coward, but this is foolish and reckless. We should go back."

I scoffed audibly, drawing Jory's fearful eyes. I stared back, unwavering. He certainly sounded like a coward to me. What did Duncan see in this man?

"Know this: All Grey Wardens can sense darkspawn. Whatever their cunning, I guarantee they wont take us by surprise. _That _is other reason I'm here." Alistair said.

"You see, ser Knight? We might die, but we'll be warned about it first." Daveth quipped and sent a wink in Jory's direction.

"Come on, we're wasting time." I said, frustrated that we had to placate a grown man.

It wasn't long before we found our first group of darkspawn. They were truly foul creatures. Their flesh looked as though it was rotting off and they smelled of something worse than death. Their teeth were pointed for ripping flesh from bone, which they tried to do quite a few times. The four of us were able to dispatch them rather quickly as there were only three darkspawn. Jory seemed shaken after the fight but said nothing about it. I tried to collect the creatures' blood into the vials Duncan had given us, but it was difficult. The substance was so dark it was almost black. As it spilled from their wounds it seeped into the earth around them, killing the grass and making the soil dry and infertile. I was only able to gather enough to fill two of the vials and we had to move forward in search of more darkspawn.

Ten minutes later, Alistair held his hand up to stop us. He turned and told us there was a camp of about twenty darkspawn up ahead that had an Alpha in it. The fight was ferocious and by the time we had finished, there was more than enough blood to fill the last vial. I was exhausted and I could tell by looks on Jory's and Daveth's faces that I was not the only one, but we had to push on because we still had to locate those scrolls.

We followed the map that Alistair had until we came upon a crumbling structure that at one point must have been a tower. I walked up the steps leading into the tower, with Daveth following behind me. He made some sort of whistling sound and said something to me but I wasn't paying attention because I had stepped into the tower and caught sight of the chest. I rushed over to it and pushed open the lid. It was empty. I looked behind me to see Alistair standing right there, staring into the empty chest. Daveth and Jory were a few feet behind him. I was about to ask where they could have gone when I saw a figure step out into view up a ramp made of stone that had not yet been reduced to dust. I stood up quickly, putting a hand on the hilt of one of my daggers. It was a woman, who was nearly naked for all the clothing she had on. She started a leisurely descent toward us.

"Well, well…what have we here? Are you a vulture, I wonder. A scavenger, poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely and intruder, come into these darkspawn filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" She drawled. She was in front of us now, arms crossed over her chest. "What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?"

"We are neither. This tower belonged to the Wardens." I said.

"Tis a tower no longer. The Wilds have obviously claimed this desecrated corpse.

"I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go?' I wondered, 'why are they here?' And now you disturb ashes that none have touched for so long. Why is that?" She mused. Alistair spoke next.

"Don't answer her," he said. "She looks Chasind and that means that others may be near by." He swept the area with a suspicious glare.

"You fear that barbarians will swoop down upon you?" The woman asked, making a grand gesture with her hands.

"Yes," said Alistair, his eyes narrowing. "Swooping is bad."

"She's a Witch of the Wilds. She'll turn us all into frogs, she will." Daveth said, frightened for the first time since we set foot in the wilds.

"You there," she said, turning to me. "Women do not frighten like little boys. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."

I looked at her for a moment. What did I have to lose?

"You can call me Eden."

"And you may call me Morrigan, if you wish. Shall I guess your purpose?" She asked. When none of spoke, she continued. "You sought something in that chest? Something that is here no longer?"

"Here no longer?" Alistair repeated, suspicion dripping from each word. "You stole them, didn't you?! You're some kind of…sneaky…witch-thief, aren't you?!" Morrigan sneered at him.

"How very eloquent. Tell me, how does one steal from dead men?"

"Quite easily, it would seem. Those documents are Grey Warden property, I demand you return them." He threatened.

"I will not, for twas not I who removed them." She said simply, a hint of smile playing on her lips. "Invoke a name that means nothing here any longer, if you wish; I am not threatened."

"Can you tell us who removed them, then?" I asked. She looked at me.

"Twas my mother."

"Can you take us to her?" I pressed.

"Now that is the most sensible question I have heard yet. I will." Morrigan answered, clearly pleased.

"We shouldn't go with her, she'll put us in the pot." Daveth warned.

"If the pot's warmer than this forest, then it'll be a nice change." Jory said, not phased in the slightest. I laughed at the irony of this sudden personality switch. Alistair looked me in the eyes and gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. With that, we followed Morrigan deeper into the Wilds. As we walked the sun sank beneath the tree line and I was seized with a sudden panic. We needed to get these scrolls and return to the camp before the battle with the darkspawn horde began.

We rounded a line of trees and into view came a small hut with an older woman standing outside as if she knew we were coming.

"Greetings, Mother. I bring before you, four Grey Wardens who…"

"I see them girl. Hmmm, much as I expected." The old woman said. She made me feel uneasy. Morrigan stood behind her mother and faced us.

"Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?" Alistair asked, disbelief written all over his face. I had to suppress the urge to glare at him.

"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut ones eyes tight or open ones arms wide…either way, ones a fool!"

"She's a witch, I tell you. We shouldn't be talking to her!" Daveth almost whined.

"Quiet, Daveth! If she's really a witch, do you want to make her mad?" Jory warned.

"There is a smart lad. Sadly irrelevant in the larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will." Morrigan's mother took a few steps toward me. "And what of you? Does your woman's mind give you a different view point? Or do you believe what these boys do?" She asked.

"I'm not sure what to believe." I answered honestly.

"A statement that possesses more wisdom than it implies. Be always aware…or is it oblivious. I can never remember." I exchanged a look with Alistair before her next words brought my attention back.

"So much about you is uncertain…and yet I believe. Do I? Why, it seems I do."

"So this is a dreaded Witch of the Wilds?" Alistair asked, skeptically.

"Witch of the Wilds? Morrigan must have told you that. She fancies such tales, though she would never admit it. Oh, how she dances under the moon!" She laughed. Morrigan pinched her the bridge of her nose much the same way that Alistair had earlier.

"They did not come to listen to your wild tales, Mother."

"True; they came for their treaties, yes? And before you begin barking, your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these." She said, reaching behind her and pulling out the scrolls. Alistair reached out with eager hands and Morrigan's mother handed them over.

"You protected them?" Alistair asked. "Thank you."

"Take these to your Grey Wardens and tell them this Blight's threat is greater than they realize."

"What do you mean?" I questioned, but she ignored me.

"You have what you came for?"

"Then it is time for you to leave." Morrigan stated.

"Do not be ridiculous girl. These are your guests."

Morrigan sighed, "Oh…very well. I will show you out of the woods. Follow me."

We arrived back at the camp just in time. The sun had completely disappeared and the moon had come out in its place. We returned to Duncan and presented him with the vials and the scrolls. I tried to give him Morrigan's mother's warning but Alistair cut me off. Duncan told us then that the blood we collected would be used in the potion we had to drink and the final part of our Joining. Jory and Daveth were flabbergasted and while I said nothing, I was sure my face had gone pale. I remembered the thick black substance that I put into the vials. _I had to _drink _that?_

Alistair took us to a secluded place on the northern edge of the camp while Duncan took the darkspawn blood to the mages. Conversation broke out.

"The more I hear about this Joining, the less I like it." Jory said as he paced back and forth.

"Are you blubbering again?" Daveth snapped.

"Why all these damn tests? Have I not earned my place?"

"Maybe it's tradition. Maybe they're just trying to annoy you."

"Calm down, there's nothing we can do about it now." I said.

"I only know that my wife is in Highever with a child on the way. If they had warned me…it just doesn't seem fair." Jory complained.

"Would you come if they did? Maybe that's why they don't. The Wardens do what they must, right?" Daveth said.

"Including sacrificing us?"

"I would sacrifice a lot more if I knew it would end the Blight." Maybe Daveth wasn't that bad.

"I swear, I'm the bravest one here and I'm a woman." I said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Yeah ser Knight. Try not to wet your trousers until the ritual starts." Daveth quipped.

"I've just never faced a foe I could not engage with my blade."

Before either of us could make a remark, Duncan came carrying a large chalice with him.

"At last we come to the Joining. The Grey Wardens were founded during the First Blight when the humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint. This is the source of our power and our victory."

"Those who survive become immune to the taint. We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the Arch Demon." Alistair added.

"Those who survive?" Jory asked.

"Not all who drink the darkspawn blood survive. And those who do, are forever changed. This is why the Joining is a secret. This is the price we pay. We speak only a few words prior to the Joining. Alistair, if you would." Duncan said. Alistair dropped his head before beginning.

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows, where we stand vigilant. Join us, as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn; and should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day, we shall join you."

Duncan took the chalice off the table he had set it on.

"Daveth; step forward." Daveth met him and took the chalice in both hands. He took a quick swig before handing the chalice back to Duncan. For a moment, he was fine but then he doubled over in pain and let out a terrible scream. His eyes had turned completely white and he clutched at his throat, hacking as though he were choking.

"I am sorry, Daveth." Duncan said, a deep frown on his face. Daveth fell to the ground and laid face down, unmoving and clearly dead. My heart sped up and despite the fact that I had known him for a very short time, I felt sad. Jory had backed away, terrified.

"Step forward, Jory." Duncan said. He backed away even further, drawing his sword. Duncan set the chalice down.

"But…I have a wife, a child…had I known…"

"There is no turning back." Duncan warned.

"No…you ask too much." Jory's sword hand shook. "There is no glory in this." Duncan withdrew a dagger similar to mine. Jory swung his sword forward but his fear had gotten the better of him and Duncan easily deflected it before plunging his dagger deep into Jory's chest. Blood instantly began to coat Jory's front as Duncan removed his dagger and Jory sunk to the ground with a groan.

"I am sorry." Duncan said again. Jory continued to bleed but was just as still as Daveth. "But the Joining is not yet complete." He picked up the chalice and handed it to me.

"You are called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good." I looked to Daveth, then Jory, then Alistair who gave me a reassuring nod. As I raised the chalice to my lips I noticed my hands were shaking. I took a quick breath to steady myself and then drank. The liquid tasted terrible and as it made its way through my body it burned. The muscles in my stomach clenched hard and I leaned over, clutching them. My eyes were shut tight but when I opened them next, all I could see were vague shapes. There was a whispering in my ears in a language that I didn't understand. Before I could make sense of what was happening, the world went black. In the darkness, I had feared the worst. Something very large was moving in front of me and as my eyes adjusted I noticed it was great and terrible dragon that was twisted and malformed in some places. It turned its massive head in my direction and let loose a soul shaking screech. I gasped and shut my eyes, hoping it would disappear and suddenly I felt something cold and hard against me. I realized I was lying on my back and when I opened my eyes again, I saw Alistair's brown ones looking at me with concern. I was alive.

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**Alrighty, since that link didn't work last time, I wrote it long-hand on my profile. So if you wish to view my tumblr, look at my profile. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Feedback people, feedback.**


	5. Ostagar Part 2

"The Chantry simply cannot condone the use of mages in battle!"

"All the mages here have passed their Harrowing. I do not know what it is you fear."

"Please, Revered Mother and Senior Enchanter Callus, this is not the time for such arguments. There is a darkspawn horde at our doorstep and we must remain focused."

Duncan was the voice of reason. I had been standing in the shadows listening to the Chantry Mother and the mage argue about whether or not mages should be allowed to aid in more than just a healing sense. We were all at a tactical meeting before the battle was to begin. King Cailan had been rubbing at a spot on his temple while Teryn Loghain simply stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

"Your Majesty?" Duncan asked.

"Yes, you are quite right, Duncan. Quite right." The King said and then he dropped his hand from his head and looked directly at me.

"Lady Eden, if you would join us please." He requested. The mage and the Chantry Mother both jumped as I stepped out of the shadows and Loghain looked slightly surprised. Duncan had known I was there as he had requested I join him when I was ready. How Cailan had known was beyond me. Perhaps I needed to work on my sneaking skills.

"I believe congratulations are in order?" Cailan asked me.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." I said with a small bow.

"Can we please get back to the matter at hand?" Loghain asked, exasperatedly. Cailan sighed.

"Loghain, my decision is final. I will stand with the Grey Wardens on this assault."

"You risk too much, Cailan. The darkspawn horde is too dangerous for you to be playing hero on the front lines." Loghain warned.

"If that's the case, then perhaps we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us." At those words, Loghain visibly tensed.

"I must repeat my protest to your fool notion that we need the Orlesians to defend ourselves." Loghain said, staring Cailan down, but Cailan did not back down.

"Our arguments with the Orlesians are a thing of the past…and you will remember who is King." Loghain turned from him and walked a few feet away.

"How fortunate that Maric did not live to see his son ready to hand Fereldan over to those who enslaved us for a century."

"Then our current forces will have to suffice, wont they?" Cailan snapped. "Duncan, are your men ready for battle?"

"They are, Your Majesty." Duncan said somberly. It took me a moment to realize I was part of those men now.

"Good, every Grey Warden is needed now." The King said, giving Duncan and I a brilliant smile.

"Your fascination with glory and legends will be your undoing, Cailan. We must attend to reality." Loghain pushed. Cailan gave him a steely look that was so very different from the smile he had worn just seconds before.

"Fine, speak your strategy. The Grey Wardens and I draw the darkspawn into charging our lines and then..?" They both bent over a map stretched across a long table.

"You will alert the tower to light the beacon, signaling my men to charge from cover…"

"To flank the darkspawn; I remember. This is the Tower of Ishal in the ruins, yes? Who shall light this beacon?" Cailan asked.

"I have a few men stationed there. It is not a dangerous task, but it is vital." Loghain said as he relaxed. Apparently, strategy calmed him.

"Then we should send our best. Send Alistair and Lady Eden to make sure its done." Cailan said, undoing Loghain's good mood.

"I will do my best, Your Majesty." I said.

"You rely on these Grey Wardens too much. Is that truly wise?"

"Enough of your conspiracy theories, Loghain. Grey Wardens battle the Blight no matter where they are from." Cailan spoke, flashing me another smile.

"Your Majesty, the tower and its beacon are unnecessary. The Circle of Magi…"

"We will not trust more lives to your spells mage! Save them for the wounded." The Chantry Mother cut him off.

"Enough!" Loghain said. "This plan will suffice. The Grey Wardens will light beacon."

"Thank you, Loghain." Cailan said, brightening.

"Your Majesty, you should consider the possibility of the arch demon appearing." Duncan said, lines creasing his brow and aging him ten years.

"There have been no signs of dragons in the Wilds" Loghain said.

"Isn't that what your men are here for, Duncan?"Cailan questioned.

"I…yes, your Majesty." Duncan conceded.

"Well then, everything is settled. We should prepare." Cailan sighed with excitement, his blue eyes sparkling. "I cannot wait for that glorious moment! The Grey Wardens battle beside the king of Fereldan to stem the tide of evil!" Loghain walked a few paces away again, his back to us.

"Yes, Cailan. A glorious moment for us all." There was something in his voice that didn't sit right with me, but before I could so much as make eye contact with Duncan, he was whisking me off to the center of the camp. We were heading toward the large fire and I could see Alistair waiting there for us, pacing back and forth. He noticed our approach and stopped, waiting for one of us to speak. It was Duncan who took the lead.

"Alistair, you and Eden have been given a mission. You will go to the top of the Tower of Ishal and wait for the signal from the troops on the ground, then light the beacon."

Alistair stared at him for a moment, slightly stunned.

"You mean I won't be in the battle?!" He finally asked, incredulous. Duncan locked eyes with him.

"The King, himself requested it." Alistair deflated a little.

"Fine. But if the King asks me to put on a dress and dance the Marigold, I'm drawing the line."

Unable to stop myself, I laughed. "Now _that _is something I'd like to see."

"Wha…really?" Alistair blushed. Duncan cleared his throat.

"The battle will begin soon. I suggest you make your way to the tower."

We started to walk away from Duncan toward the bridge that spanned the valley when Alistair turned to him.

"Duncan! May the Maker watch over you." Worry was etched in his handsome features. There was a pause.

"May the Maker watch over us all." Duncan said. He turned and made his way toward the front lines in the valley. Alistair stood there for a moment, staring into the distance. I laid a hand on his shoulder, but he barely registered my touch through his armor.

"Alistair?" I asked. It was then that he turned back to me and I could see the fear in his eyes, though he tried to hide it. I wanted to say something to ease his worry but I didn't know where to begin. So I gave him a weak smile; a silent apology for my lack of words.

He smiled in return and we headed for the bridge. When we reached it I noticed Dracarius standing there, waiting for me. I was about to tell him he was a good boy when there was a sound that gripped my heart. It was repetitive and deep. I looked down into the valley and the sight that met my eyes made my heart jump into my throat. A very large army of darkspawn, the head of it waiting about a hundred yards from the front lines of our own forces with the bulk of the horde still amongst the trees. The flames from their torches could be seen through the density of the Wilds and they were too numerous to count. _Drums_.

The sound that was making my muscles clench with anxiety was war drums. I couldn't stop my feet from carrying me to the edge of the bridge. I gripped the stone railing so hard my knuckles turned white as I looked into the valley below me. I searched desperately for some sign of Fergus, but I was too far up to make out the individual soldiers on the ground. My eyes found their way to the raised platform that held the most important officers. I spotted King Cailan's golden armor and made out Duncan standing next to him. I saw no sign of Fergus and glanced out into the trees at all the lights, wondering if there was any way he could have hidden from a force that large.

It was then that I noticed Alistair, standing next to me. He was looking out at the darkspawn horde as well with a hardness to his eyes that I hadn't seen before. He must have sensed me looking at him because he turned to face me and put both hands on my shoulders.

"We'll get through this." At the moment, I wasn't sure if he was saying that to reassure me or himself. Dracarius whined but it was drowned out by a deafening crash of thunder above us as lightening illuminated the world briefly and the sky opened up. I jumped terribly at the sudden sound, then swore loudly. Alistair laughed at my very unlady-like display as rain began to fall in torrents around us. That was when the battle began. It was as if the darkspawn had been waiting for the rain. I saw their lines advance forward, creatures both large and small running with weapons raised. King Cailan made a gesture and archers showered the monsters with arrows, but their advance didn't slow. There was another gesture and war hounds were released, meeting the darkspawn at full speed. But still the beasts came.

"We should get moving." I said, not wanting to watch anymore. I whistled for Dracarius and the three of us set off toward the Tower of Ishal. The battle was in full swing now as men yelled and beasts roared. There were archers on the bridge with us and a few soldiers to operate the ballistas, but they seemed to be doing little damage. I picked up my pace, knowing that they would need the Teryn's men soon. We had just made our way to the end of the bridge when there was a thunderous explosion and the ground shook, causing me to stumble a bit. I looked behind me and there was another massive chunk of the bridge missing along with the soldiers who had been there only moments before.

Alistair turned me around and shouted something at me, possibly trying to remind me of the task at hand. I ran a couple of steps forward when I was pulled up short by the sight of a soldier and a mage running toward us. They looked absolutely terrified.

"What's wrong?" Alistair asked, coming to a stop beside me.

"The Tower has been overrun by darkspawn!" The soldier shouted.

"Are you sure?" Alistair asked, bewildered. There was no mistaking the truth of it in their eyes.

"We have to get to the top of that tower." I said to Alistair. He squared his shoulders as he looked at the imposing structure before us.

"Let's go, then."

"Wait," I said to him before he could get more than a couple of steps away. I turned to the soldier and the mage. "Come with us."

The soldier nodded his head and stepped toward us. We all looked expectantly at the mage, who had started to shake. He took a step backward and then another, looking at us as if we had tried to cause him harm. He shook his head at us, then turned around and ran. Just us four then. Without saying a word, we all started down the path that lead to the Tower's entrance.

We had been walking along in silence for a only a few moments when I was stopped by a tingling feeling that started somewhere in my chest and made its way through my body until I could feel it in my fingertips. Alistair had stopped too and was watching me.

"Do you feel that?" I asked him. He nodded.

"You're sensing darkspawn." He answered the question that I didn't ask. He unsheathed one of the swords that were strapped to his back and I followed suit with my daggers. Our small group rounded the corner, waiting for the assault. I spotted some darkspawn that were different from the ones I had seen in the woods. The ones from the woods resembled humans, but the beasts in front of me were small in stature. They had round little heads filled with sharp, pointed teeth and ears that were two sizes too large. What unsettled me, though, was the look in their eyes. I had seen that same look when Dracarius had cornered his prey and was ready to eat his fill. I was dinner.

"Genlocks." Alistair whispered in my ear. There was a sudden shiver that crept down my spine and then back up again that had nothing to do with the creatures in front of us. I gave myself a mental shake.

"Let's go say hello." I said.

The whole fight lasted less than ten minutes. Despite their menacing look, the genlocks had terrible issues with balance and one good bash with a shield was all it took to get them on their backs. From that position, Dracarius made short work of their small group. I gave the large doors that led to the tower a furtive glance. There was no telling what was waiting for us on the other side and going in unprepared could be disastrous. But we didn't have time to think things through or scout out the path ahead. Men were dying in the valley below us and they couldn't wait.

So I steeled myself and ran for the doors. When I burst through I thought I would encounter immediate resistance but there wasn't anyone. I had run into the main hall of the first floor. It was a cavernous room with no windows in the curved walls. I was forcibly reminded of the few times my mother had made Fergus and I go to the Chantry after an afternoon of childhood debauchery. Would this ever get easier?

"There's a door at the other end of the hall. It might lead up." The soldier said, hopefully.

We moved on. There weren't even signs of any bodies. Where were the men stationed here? I opened the door and took two steps before the ground disappeared from beneath my feet. I gasped in surprise, sure that I was about to fall to my death, when a hand gripped my upper arm like a vice and pulled me back onto sturdy ground.

"There's a rather large hole there." Alistair pointed out from behind me.

"Thank you." I said.

"Don't mention it. So do you suppose this is how the darkspawn got in?" He asked.

"Does it matter?" I asked. He gave a shrug and we moved on. As we moved through the second and third floors we didn't encounter a soul. Not even a trace of soldiers or darkspawn. Something didn't feel right. The fourth floor was the same way. I was about to ask Alistair what he thought when there was a deep, booming groan that came from above us and could most certainly not be human.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Our soldier friend squawked. I shared a look with Alistair. Whatever was waiting for us up there was not going to be easy. Soldier went up the stairs first, followed by Alistair then myself and Dracarius. Before I could even step through the door there was an impossibly loud roar followed by a painful scream and Alistair was knocked aside. That was when I got my first look at an ogre. It must have been fifteen feet tall with massive horns like a deer on its head. Its hands were the size of Dracarius who had began to circle around the ogre.

Alistair was back on his feet and gave me a small nod to affirm that he was unhurt. The same could not be said for Soldier. He was laying face down on the floor a little to my left. His legs were ten feet to my right. My training took over and I started to trace a path around the ogre's left, mirroring Dracarius.

The brute was growling menacingly at us, unsure which one posed the greatest threat. I was waiting for an opportunity to strike at the areas I could only assume were vital. Alistair gave a great battle cry and rushed at the beast, drawing its attention. The ogre roared again and then swung a tree-trunk sized arm at Alistair, making him sail through the air and hit the wall behind him. That was my chance.

I had made my way around to the creature's back and ran full speed at him. There was an overturned barrel in my path and I used it to launch myself at the ogre's back. I dug my daggers into his thick hide as deep as possible. He threw his hands over his shoulders in an attempt to reach me but I was too fast. I used my weapons to scale up his back and when I reached his shoulders I ripped out my daggers and drove one of them hilt deep into the ogres neck. I twisted as hard as I could and felt the tell-tale pop of his spine severing. Just like the Howe soldier.

The ogre started to sway a bit and I knew I had to get off before he fell or I might be crushed. I tugged on the dagger hilt but it wouldn't budge. I tugged again but I was already exhausted from the efforts of the day and was losing my strength. The beast began to fall forward and before I could move he crashed into the ground with such force that I was thrown forward, the dagger finally coming loose in my hands. I rolled onto the floor and when I stood back up I was looking at Alistair.

"Impressive." He said, with a nod to the dead ogre.

I shrugged. "We should light the beacon."

Alistair picked up a small stone that had broken off of the walls and a small knife. We walked over to the fire place where there was a strange looking cord hanging down. I had never seen anything like it before but Alistair seemed to know what he was doing because he bent down and started striking the stone with the knife, making sparks fly at the cord. Finally, one of the sparks hit the cord and it caught fire, but instead of burning slowly, the fire traveled quickly up the cord until I couldn't see it anymore. Shortly after I lost sight there was a large explosion overhead. For a moment I thought the roof might come down on us, but nothing happened. So that was the beacon.

I wanted to ask Alistair if we could go back down and regroup with Duncan and the others on the battle field but I never got the chance. The door burst open and a large squad of the human looking darkspawn poured into the room. Their leader was easily discernible from the rest as he was clad in golden armor, soaked in blood and carrying a heavy looking golden shield.

I readied myself for the battle. I had started to rush forward but was stopped by a blinding pain in my left shoulder. I looked to it to see an arrow sticking out of me, blood seeping from around it. The pain was nothing like I had ever felt before; my whole shoulder felt as if it were on fire and I was brought to my knees. I heard Alistair scream my name and looked up to see the darkspawn leader swinging his shield at me.

The hard metal made contact with the right side of my head and my vision blurred as I fell to the floor. I caught a fuzzy glimpse of Dracarius bounding toward me before the blackness took over.

* * *

**A/N: **There you are, dears. Now there are only eleven of you following this story. I know that sometimes you feel like you don't need to give a review because you're sure other people do. (I'm guilty of this, myself) But so far, I've gotten only two reviews. So please, please take a few minutes after reading this chapter to let me know what you think or even ask questions. I would really, really love it! Thank you!


	6. Aftermath

"_Fergus!" I exclaimed indignantly, through fits of giggles. He had been following me all afternoon, trying to figure out what it was that I was hiding from our parents but he was a terrible sneak. So far, he had walked into two different vegetable stalls, knocked over a display of fine jewelry and stepped on the tail of a very large and grouchy hound that belonged to the city's only blacksmith. _

_I had decided that his attempt at sleuthing would not go unpunished so I donned my traveling cloak and pulled the hood low over my eyes, so as to look very suspicious. I walked over to the smaller and much less used gate out of the city and "slipped" out into the woods, just south of us. _

_As soon as I was into the trees, I broke into a run. When I was a safe distance away I climbed a tree, disguising myself in its leaves. It wasn't long before I heard Fergus' lumbering gait snapping twigs and crunching brush. He stopped just below me, looking in all directions for some hint of where I'd gone and I had to bit my tongue to keep from giggling. For all his bravado, Fergus wasn't as bright as he'd have you believe. _

_He had just started to scratch his head in confusion when I dropped from my vantage point, directly in front of him. Fergus let loose a much too high pitched scream and stumbled backward a few feet before tripping on an overturned log and falling to his backside. I had doubled over with laughter, listening to his empty threats. Fergus righted himself and was glaring at my mirthful face when I heard the snapping of several twigs from behind me. I turned, looking for the source but saw nothing._

"_Did you hear that, Fergus?" I asked, still looking for whatever was out there. He didn't respond. _

"_Fergus?" I questioned. I wasn't expecting what I saw when I turned to look at him. _

_Fergus wasn't there anymore and in his place was a monster. A horrible thing with rotting flesh and sharp teeth in its mouth. I was frozen in place by fear when the beast came closer, laughing at me. His putrid breath brushed under my nose and I was torn between wanting to scream and needing to vomit. The creature got closer and closer until we were almost touching and lowered his face to my shoulder. I felt a single tear run down my cheek before his teeth sunk deep into me and pulled away the first layer of skin. _

I woke with a start, sweat sticking the thick furs to my skin. My head gave a dull throb as I tried to get my surroundings into focus. Where was I? It was definitely a small room. The walls were the color of dry clay and it smelled vaguely of damp cloth. My vision was starting to clear out and I could just make out a fireplace in front of the bed I was on. A figure stirred to my right and I gripped the furs tight to my chest, remembering my dream.

"It's alright. You're safe." The figure said. I recognized that voice.

"Alistair?" I asked, trying to rub the last of the fuzz from my eyes.

"Yes." He said simply.

"What happened? Where are we?" I asked as my vision finally returned to normal. Alistair looked terrible. His face was worn and there was a bandage above his right eye that had a streak of red through the center. He leaned forward a little.

"We're in Morrigan's mother's hut." I could tell he was hiding something from me.

"Why are we here? What happened, Alistair?" I demanded. He turned his face away from mine and sighed.

"The battle is over. You lost." My head snapped to my left and I saw Morrigan standing in front of a door that I hadn't noticed was there. When did she come in? Or had she been there the whole time?

"What?" I asked, stupidly. Then, "How?"

"The man who was to respond to your signal…quit the field. Those he left behind were slaughtered." Morrigan said.

"The King? Duncan and the other Grey Wardens?" I begged.

"They're all dead." Alistair growled. I looked at him and there was dangerousness in his brown eyes that reminded me of the darkspawn in my dream.

"Why would Loghain betray his King?" I asked Morrigan, not wanting to maintain eye contact with Alistair.

"Men's hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature." Morrigan's mother materialized from behind her daughter. I sat there trying to digest her words when a sudden thought occurred to me.

"Where's Dracarius?!"

"The mongrel is outside." Morrigan answered with disdain. I had more questions.

"How exactly did we escape?" I asked the room. "The last thing I remember is being knocked out by that darkspawn."

"A hurlock alpha. I tried to warn you that he was coming but you had that arrow in your shoulder. He knocked you out and was about to kill you when your hound attacked him. Then the ceiling collapsed and…" Alistair began.

"My mother rescued you." Morrigan finished. I decided that I would rather not know how an elderly woman managed to make it to the top of the Tower of Ishal and pull out two adults clad in armor and a war hound amidst a troop of darkspawn.

I just wanted to leave, but I had no idea where to go or what to do. Duncan was dead, the King was dead and the darkspawn horde was somewhere in Ostagar. I didn't know where to begin. I looked at Alistair and my desperation was mirrored in his eyes.

"What do we do now?" I asked so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"You fight back." Morrigan's mother stated. I almost laughed. She said it so simply, like all we had to do was start swinging our weapons.

"With what? Our good looks?" It would have been a joke if Alistair hadn't snarled the words.

"Watch your tongue." Morrigan warned.

"Hush, girl." The old witch said. "You fight with an army of course."

"An army? And just how are we supposed to get one of those? Grow them?" Alistair mocked.

Morrigan's mother let out a hearty laugh while Morrigan crossed her arms over her chest, magic crackling between her fingers.

"While I was guarding those scrolls of yours, boy, I took the liberty of reading them."

"You…you what?!" Alistair was on his feet now.

"They are treaties. Treaties that enable the Grey Wardens to call on others for aid in a Blight." With those words, Alistair sat back down, letting the information wash over him.

"What others?" I asked, taking the reigns.

"What does it matter? Duncan had the treaties. How can we enforce a treaty when we don't even have it?"

"I would not be so sure of that." Morrigan said. She walked over to a chest by the door and pulled out the three scrolls, holding them up for us to see.

"How did you get those?" I asked her.

"Mother was not the only one at Ostagar that night." She said, cryptically. Alistair scoffed.

"Thank you." I said, before Alistair could stick his foot in his mouth again.

"There are also these." Morrigan said and laid a sword and shield on the bed in front of me. I quickly recognized them as my family shield and sword. I could not thank her enough for rescuing these for me and I tried to communicate my gratitude but no words came to me.

"So, who do the treaties allow us to call on?" Morrigan tossed one to Alistair and another to me. The scroll I had was tightly rolled and held together by a light green wax pressed with the symbol of a single leaf. I popped the wax seal off easily enough and unrolled the scroll.

Inside was a beautiful curled writing that must have been ancient. I didn't recognize most of the language, but some of the words made sense to me. I was able to pick up 'Grey Wardens', 'aid' and one other. Dalish. So this treaty was for the Dalish elves. I almost had to laugh at that. I knew going to them would be difficult. The relationship between humans and Dalish had deteriorated terribly in the last hundred or so years.

Not wanting to face the difficulty of that task, I turned to Alistair.

"Who do you have?"

"The dwarves of Orzammar." He said, still reading through the scroll with a small scowl on his face. This time I actually did laugh. This mountain we had to climb to stop the darkspawn was getting taller and taller.

"Where do you think we should go first?" Alistair asked me.

"I don't know…even if they do agree, I'm not sure the troops they'd send would be enough." I confessed. Alistair perked up.

"Arl Eamon." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"We could go to Arl Eamon. He wasn't at Ostagar and he's was Cailan's uncle. He would help us!"

"Are you sure?" I questioned. But I knew he was certain. For the first time since I had woken up in this hut, there was something akin to excitement on his face.

"Absolutely."

"There's another scroll." Morrigan's mother informed us. "Here, girl." And she handed the last one to Morrigan, who popped it open and began to read. I was beginning to worry when the silence seemed to stretch too long. Then, suddenly:

"The Mages of the Circle Tower." Morrigan said with disdain.

"Hmmm… elves, dwarves, mages and this Arl Eamon; this sounds like an army to me." The witch said, practically bouncing on her feet trying to conceal her glee.

"That it does." I agreed, keeping my eyes on Alistair. He seemed to be deep in thought again. I sighed deeply.

"Well I suppose Alistair and I should get going. We have a long journey ahead of us. Thank you…for everything." I said to both women. Morrigan shifted uncomfortably but her mother merely smiled at me.

I got out of the single bed and made my way to the table that held my gear. As I dressed, I could hear Alistair talking to our hosts.

"The Wardens owe you a great debt, Madame." He said with a great air of formality. He was met with a hearty laugh.

"So proper! You may call me Flemeth, child." I turned around at her words, still holding one boot. I watched Alistair bristle a bit at being called a child before he realized what Flemeth had said.

"…Flemeth?" Before he could put his foot in his mouth, I started talking.

"Well then, Flemeth, if you should ever have a request of the Wardens, we will do our best to fulfill it."

"Now that you mention it, there is something I would like." She said, the smile on her face growing wider.

"Anything." Alistair said.

"Take Morrigan with you."

"_**WHAT?!**_" Three of us shouted at once.

"Mother, you cannot…"

"Surely there's something else you want…"

"Are you sure about this…"

"Enough. This is the boon I ask." She leveled her gaze at me and we stared at each other for a few moments.

"Very well." I said. Alistair gestured wildly between Flemeth and me, unable to form words.

"Do I have no say in this?" Morrigan asked, angrily.

"Hush, girl. This a great opportunity for you to learn things that I cannot teach you." Flemeth shut her down.

"But…I…fine. Allow me to pack my things." Morrigan growled, storming out of the single room hut.

"Well then…" I shuffled awkwardly, attempting to put on my last boot.

"Where should we go first?" Alistair asked me. I opened my mouth to speak but Flemeth beat me to it.

"There is a small town just north of Ostagar. Were I in your position, I would go there for supplies." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Lothering." I said. "Getting around the darkspawn horde won't be easy." Alistair actually smiled.

"Good." He said.

Morrigan returned with a pack on her back and a large staff in her hands. I secured my weapons and satchel. As Alistair was strapping on his sword and shield, I noticed something. Those weren't his weapons. The sword was the beautiful valerian steel that belonged to my family and the shield bore the crest of Highever.

"How?" I asked him, gesturing at the things.

"I was in the Warden tent before the battle started and found them in my chest. Something told me to use your weapons instead of my standard issue ones. I don't know why." He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to explain. I smiled at him.

"Well, I'm glad you did." We stood there for a moment until someone cleared their throat.

"Right then, let's go." I said.

When I stepped outside, I was immediately overcome by Dracarius who was standing on his hind legs, attempting to lick my face.

"Down, boy. We have things to do." I told him. He hopped down immediately and adopted a posture that said he was prepared for anything. We began walking.

By the time we reached the outskirts of Ostagar the sun was high in the sky and even in the chilly air of the south, I could feel sweat dripping down my back. We spent most of our walk in complete silence. Morrigan was some feet behind Alistair and I while Dracarius was several yards in front. The closer we had gotten to Ostagar, the deeper the scowl on Alistair's face had become.

Suddenly, Dracarius stopped in front of us. His head was up and his ears were perked and alert. Alistair and I stopped as well, each putting a hand on the hilt of our weapons. I heard Morrigan stop behind us. We all waited with bated breath for whatever it was that made Dracarius stop. I was listening for darkspawn but heard something else entirely. Hooves.

From around the corner a beautiful black stallion cantered into view, his saddle still firmly strapped to his back. Duncan's horse. Before I could react, two other horses rounded the corner. Alistair's white mare and Bretta. They still had their saddles as well. How was this possible?

Bretta came up to me and nuzzled my shoulder with her nose. She didn't seem hurt and there were nose signs of any darkspawn taint.

"They seem fine." Alistair said, examining his own horse.

"How did they escape?" I wondered out loud. Behind me, Morrigan let out a small cough, but when I turned to look at her she refused to meet my eyes. I turned back around and saw Duncan's horse standing a few feet away, waiting.

"Morrigan, take Duncan's horse." I said. Without complaint, she walked up to the stallion and immediately mounted him. I mounted Bretta and then looked to Alistair, who was staring at Morrigan with a look that I couldn't quite read.

"Alistair…?" I started but he shook his head and then mounted his own steed. With that, we were off.

The ride to Lothering was surprisingly uneventful. There was a small pack of wolves but for some reason, they kept their distance. I was unsure if it was the taint they sensed in us or if Morrigan had something to do with it and my questions on the matter where ignored. When we finally came upon Lothering the sun had already sunk below the trees and the light was quickly fading.

As we rode into town I broke the silence.

"Where should we go first?"

"Well…I suppose we should board the horses first, right?" He said, looking at me.

"I meant for the treaties." Morrigan chuckled lightly, drawing a glare from Alistair.

"You decide." He said, trying to hide the flush in his cheeks.

"Are you not the senior Warden here, Alistair?" Morrigan asked amidst giggles.

I gave Morrigan a stern look to which she huffed and looked off in a different direction.

"We'll discuss this after we've had a bite to eat." I said, ending the conversation.

There was a tavern just over a small bridge across the creek from the little town's Chantry. A shabby stable was available for travelers but from the looks of things, Lothering didn't get very many of those. I dismounted Bretta and tied her up. She huffed a bit and I rubbed her neck, trying to apologize for the terrible accommodations.

I ordered Dracarius to stay with the horses and waited for Alistair and Morrigan. As soon as they were ready, we headed for the tavern. It would loud and cramped inside. The whole place was full of sweaty drunk men and scantily dressed women. The smells were almost overwhelming. We stepped through the threshold and not seconds later a grown man threw up all down his front before falling on his face.

"There's no fool like a drunken fool. My mother told me that once and I see 'tis true." Morrigan remarked from my left.

We stepped over the man and found three seats at the bar, ordering some hot stew in the process. We got the stew a few moments later and Alistair wasted no time in shoveling the gruel into his mouth while Morrigan merely poked it once with a spoon before pushing it away. I didn't blame her. There was no flavor to the liquid that the slimy grey chunks that I could only hazard a guess at being fish, were floating in. Still, I needed to eat something and so I slowly began to eat. It occurred to me that perhaps Alistair's swallow-it-before-it-hits-the-tongue approach had some merit to it.

I looked around the tavern trying to distract myself from the taste in my mouth. There was a gentleman two stools down from me on my left with a handsome face. He had been watching me for a little while and I was starting to get wary. My hand instantly went to my dagger when he stood up and began walking toward me. I was shocked, however, when he simply put down a plate of bread and cheese next to me, laid a hand on my shoulder, squeezed it gently and then walked away.

His spot was taken by a rather rowdy man who was slobbering drunk. A few moments later I heard the slap. I turned to see the rowdy man with his hand on the backside of a very pretty young woman with bright red hair. What really caught my attention were the woman's clothes. They were clearly the robes of a Chantry sister so the man must have really been besotted to think it was a good idea to touch her there. She gave him a scathing look and he drew his hand away, putting both of them up in mock surrender.

"You can't blame a man for wanting to touch your wonderful ars-AHH!"

With surprising speed, she whipped out a small dagger and stabbed the man straight through the hand.

"You bitch!" He yelled, cradling his wounded appendage. I rose to my feet, ready to help her when I felt Alistair's hand on my arm.

"Not our fight." He spoke quietly. "Come on, we should get going."

He dropped a couple of gold coins on the bar and we left. After retrieving our horses we began to head through town to the entrance of the Imperial Highway. I stopped though when I saw someone massive standing inside a cage. Inexplicably, I was drawn to him. As I got closer I realized that he was not, in fact, a man but a Qunari. Giants with tan skin and white, braided hair from the land of Par Vollen to the far north. What was he doing here in Fereldan? My curiosity got the better of me.

"Why are you in this cage?" He met my eyes for a moment before answering.

"Punishment."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"It matters not. I will not be free." He said.

"We cannot let this magnificent creature be left here to the slaughter of the darkspawn horde." Morrigan said vehemently.

"How are we supposed to get him out without drawing the attention of the Templars?" Alistair challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. An idea struck me.

"Who locked you in here?" I asked the Qunari.

"The priestess." He said somberly.

"The Revered Mother?" Alistair questioned, his arms falling to his sides. "Oh this should be terribly easy, then." He scoffed.

"I have to try." I told him and though he seemed to not like the idea, he still followed me when I left for the Chantry. Morrigan opted to stay behind with the Qunari and our horses.

When we arrived in the Chantry I asked a Templar for an audience with the Revered Mother. He agreed and led me through the small Chantry which had clearly seen better days to her solar.

"Revered Mother, thank you for seeing us." I said with a small bow. She was an older woman with salt-and-pepper hair that was tied back in a tight bun.

"Of course, young one. What can this humble servant of the Maker do for you today?" She asked with a warm smile.

"I came to request that you release the Qunari." The smile slowly slipped off her face to be replaced by a terrible scowl.

"No."

* * *

**A/N: **I am terribly sorry for the long wait. I had relatives in town for the holidays and barely had time to sleep, let alone write. But I'm back now! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I know there isn't a lot of action in this one, but character development has to happen at some point. lol. Thank you very much to **VileMalapert **and **Pollyanna24** for the reviews! You guys are wonderful and give me so much inspiration!


	7. Long Road Ahead

"I'm sorry?" I said, still in my little bow but now looking up at the Revered Mother.

"No apologies necessary, my dear. I understand your wish to grant the beast some mercy, given what is heading in our direction. But I simply cannot allow it. He is too dangerous to be set free." She told me as she paced back and forth in front of us.

"Revered Mother…" Alistair began.

"I will hear no more on the matter."

Just as we were standing to leave the same red-headed woman from the tavern walked into the room. She didn't look any worse for wear but as she approached I noticed a small blotch of red on the hem of her sleeve. I had a good idea who that belonged to.

"Ah, Leliana. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The Revered Mother asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Please, Mother. I urge you to reconsider their request. No one, no matter what their crimes, deserves to be left to the will of the darkspawn." Her accent was thick but in my distraction I couldn't place it. Leliana fell to her knees in front of the Revered Mother.

"If I were to release him, there's no telling what he might do or who he may hurt. I cannot let a monster like that loose on the Maker's children." She said, shaking her head in denial.

"What if I could guarantee that he wouldn't harm anyone?" I spoke. The Mother turned to me with an incredulous look in her eyes then let out a surprisingly loud chuckle.

"And just how do you plan to do that, my dear? The beast is near eight feet tall! What could a woman of your stature do to ensure his behavior?" I gritted my teeth at her words but tried to keep my composure.

"My companion and I are warriors. We can keep him in line." I tried to assure her, but she laughed even louder.

"I am sorry, my child but I have a hard time believing that."

"What if I were to vouch for them, Revered Mother?" Leliana spoke.

"Vouch for them?"

"Yes, I witnessed them defend a woman against several unruly men at the local tavern. These men were large and strapping but the warriors had no trouble overcoming them."

I watched Leliana's face as she spoke to the Revered Mother and there was not even a small hint of the blatant lie she was telling. Her eyes, unwavering, were locked onto the old priestess'. Why would she lie for us? Finally, the older woman broke their stare and looked to me.

"What do you plan on doing with him?" She asked.

"He would fight the darkspawn with us." I supplied. "And perhaps, seek redemption through helping us."

The Revered Mother took a moment, looking between the three of us and thinking over our proposal. At last she sighed.

"Fine. One of the Templars will escort you to the Qunari's cage and release him for you. But I caution you; should he harm innocents again, the Maker will ensure justice for those responsible."

She summoned a Templar with a wave of her hand and instructed him on what to do. He led us from the room and I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. Alistair and I exchanged looks that said neither of us new what that Chantry sister was up to. I was sure that we would have to repay her eventually and the thought made me uneasy. What demands could someone who lies so easily have of us?

Night had truly descended on Lothering when we stepped outside of the Chantry. The inky sky was dotted with brilliant stars that looked so close and yet were so very far away. I thought of my father and his endless musings about what secrets the night sky held. I remembered a story he had told me when I was still a very little girl about the stars being the windows of the Maker's palace. Windows that our ancestors used to watch over us.

"Are you coming?" Alistair asked. He was several feet in front of me, turned sideways with a mixed look of concern and confusion. The Templar was already half way across the bridge. I nodded and hurried to catch up with them.

When we reached the Qunari's cage we found Morrigan standing there, arms crossed and staring in the direction of the dense woods to the south. Our horses were behind her and the closer I got the faster I noticed that not a single one of them was tied or secured in any way. They just stood there, waiting.

The Templar cleared his throat when he slid a single key into the lock. He opened the door.

"Right, you're to be released into the care of this here lady." He said, gesturing to me.

The Qunari took one large step out of the cage, ducking his head to avoid hitting it on the frame of the door and then stood in front of me. The Revered Mother was not very far off in her guess of his height. I knew that moment that finding armor to replace his dirty prisoner robes would be terribly difficult. Not to mention costly.

"My name is Eden." I said, offering my hand to him. He simply looked at it. "What should I call you?"

"I am a Sten of the Beresaad." He spoke, his small and analyzing eyes narrowing.

"I think I'll just call you Sten. These are my companions, Morrigan and Alistair." I said, gesturing to each in turn.

"Why have you had me released?" He asked, wasting no time.

"The Revered Mother agreed to let you go on the condition that you join my companions and I under my command to fight against the Blight." I felt like I needed to be honest with Sten. Something told me that lying to him wouldn't do any good. All four of us stood there for several very quiet and uncomfortable moments as Sten stared me down. Without so much as changing his expression, he spoke.

"Very well."

"Do you have any belongings?" I asked.

"No."

"You'll have to walk. None of the horses are strong enough to support you." I said, half statement; half apology. My words were met with silent staring. I supposed I was just going to have to get used to that.

"Let's go." I said, walking over to Bretta and mounting her while Morrigan and Alistair followed suit with their horses. Just as we were beginning to head out, shouting slowed our progress. I turned around to see Leliana running toward us, but she wasn't in her Chantry robes any longer. She was wearing light leather armor, boots and greaves. There was a quiver of arrows strapped to her back and her bow was slung across her chest.

As she got closer I noticed that her armor had beautiful embellishments around the collar, shoulder plates and the bottom of her skirt straps. I wondered how a sister of the Chantry could afford such a thing, let alone wear it.

"Wait…please…I'd like to…join you." She panted.

"A sister can't leave the Chantry." Alistair stated.

"I'm not a sister. I never took any vows." Leliana answered and suddenly I knew what accent she had and where she was from. Leliana was an Orlesian.

"What would a woman of Orlais be doing in a small Chantry in the middle of Fereldan?" I asked. Considering her skill with a blade and ease in lying I was very wary of who she might be.

"I have been here for quite a few years. I like the peace and quiet of a simple Chantry life." She answered smoothly.

"Then why do you want to come with us so badly?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"The Maker told me to." She said simply. There was a moment of stunned silence before Morrigan burst into graceful laughter and Alistair pinched the bridge of his nose. But Leliana kept her eyes on me, waiting for me to say something. I mustered all the grace of leadership my parents had taught me before I spoke.

"Why did the Maker want you to come with us?"

"To aid you in your quest to end the Blight." She said.

"How do you even know that's what we're doing?" I asked.

"You said in the Chantry that you are out fighting darkspawn. No normal mercenary would willingly seek them out, no matter the pay, yet you are. The only warriors I can think of who fight the darkspawn are Grey Wardens. So it stands to reason that you and your companions are Grey Wardens." She said with a smile.

"Do not lump me in with that fool." Morrigan said, gesturing to Alistair who scowled at her. I sighed.

"You will have to use your own supplies as I have none to spare and I cannot guarantee your safety. We have a dangerous task ahead of us." I warned.

"Oh I am not worried." She smiled again.

"Fine. We're leaving Lothering now. Gather whatever you must and meet us at the ramp to the Imperial Highway." I told her, turning Bretta in the direction we were heading.

"No need. I have a bag with my belongings in it at the base of the ramp." Leliana said, waving me off.

So we moved forward. The walk to the Imperial Highway was actually quite serene. There was a path that led through several small farms and in the quiet we could hear bugs chirping among the crops. I could have done without the chill in the air that seemed to be a constant presence in the south.

The ramp came into view faster than I thought it would but as we approached it the wind carried sounds of shouts to us. I exchanged a look with Alistair but his line of sight broke past mine a second later and I watched his expression change from one of mild concern to plain outrage. I turned to see what was causing his distress only to see the silhouette of Morrigan racing toward the highway, staff in hand. Without a word, I dismounted from Bretta, pulled out my daggers and ran after her.

I could hear the metal of Alistair's armor clinking as he ran just behind me. We were moving fast but Morrigan, it seemed, had gotten there first. A terrible scream cut through the air that clearly belonged to a woman. Alistair and I picked up our pace. We got to the ramp and sprinted the last we feet of the stone structure. When I got there I stopped abruptly causing Alistair to crash into my back.

In front of us, two dwarves were clutching to one another in front of a couple of wooden crates that backed up to a small caravan. They were staring wide-eyed at a woman who lay crumpled on the stone of the highway, blood seeping from a cut in her hand. Morrigan was standing over her with a look of polite intrigue on her beautiful features.

"What happened?" Alistair asked.

"B…b…blo…blood…" The dwarf with the beard stammered.

"Twas a blood mage. I sensed her magic and knew she would hinder our progress so I went ahead to deal with her." Morrigan answered.

"You…," the dwarf said to Morrigan. "You saved our lives."

Morrigan turned her eyes on the dwarf and I saw a mix of alarm and panic flash through them. She took several steps backward.

"We owe you our lives, my boy and I." He said.

"No, 'twas no trouble. Please don't…"

"My name is Bodahn Feddic and this is my boy, Sandal. We are forever in your debt, my lady. Is there anything I could do for you?"

"Direct all questions and requests to that woman." Morrigan said, pointing to me. Bodahn turned his small bright eyes on me and quickly stepped forward. When he reached me, he bent over in deep bow.

"My lady, would it be alright if we followed you and yours?" He asked, still bent over.

I looked at Alistair to get his opinion but he merely shrugged his shoulders and looked behind us. I followed his line of vision to see Sten and Leliana walking up the ramp with our horses. Bodahn uttered a soft 'oh my' at the sight of Sten.

"What's in those boxes, Bodahn?" I asked. I didn't want more trouble.

"Just the goods my boy and I sell." A merchant? How unusually lucky.

"You can come with us, Bodahn; on the condition that you let my two companions here ride in your caravan." I gestured to Leliana and Sten and Bodahn's eyes widened a bit before he broke out in a huge grin.

"Of course, my lady."

With everything settled we rode along the road until I noticed Alistair was asleep in the saddle. I called a halt and everyone began setting up a camp in a small glen just out of sight from the road. I cleared an area for the fire and sent Leliana into the brush to find kindling. When she returned with enough burnable wood, I grabbed a loose rock from the earth and began striking my dagger with it, trying to create sparks. Morrigan sauntered up behind me.

"There's no need for that." She said and crouched down next to me, sticking her index finger under the pile of wood. A couple seconds later smoke began to rise from inside and then the whole pile caught fire. Morrigan removed her hand, looking satisfied.

"Thank you. But you may want to keep your magic hidden. I'm not in much of a mood to kill Templars today." I stated. She gave me an odd look that I couldn't place then got up and made her way to the far edge of our camp and set up her own tent.

I found Alistair sitting in his tent, removing my family weapons and the belt that they were attached to. I cleared my throat and he looked up at me.

"We'll go to Redcliffe tomorrow." I told him. He nodded and I left. Better to leave him to his grief; I wouldn't know what to say anyway. Emotional counseling was never my strong suit. That was always Mother's gift.

I made my way to my own tent and removed my weapons, belt and satchel. The minute I laid down I was overcome by sleep.

_I was back in the forest just south of Highever. The hurlock was ripping flesh from bone on my shoulder, laughing as my blood dribbled down his chin. I screamed, calling for my brother but he never came. So I screamed for my mother; she did not come. I screamed for my father; he did not come. I screamed for Duncan; he did not come. I screamed for Alistair; he did not come. I was alone and at the mercy of this terrible beast. Pain made my legs weak and blood loss made my vision blurry. A dense fog clouded the area and the hurlock disappeared. I took two unsteady and hesitant steps when, suddenly, the fog cleared and in front of me was the terrible and twisted dragon. It breathed scaldingly hot breath in my face as we stood for a moment, taking each other in. Then it opened its massive jaws as wide as possible and rushed forward, intent on swallowing me whole. _

A hand on my shoulder shook me awake. I sat up quickly and took in my surroundings. I was back in my tent and Alistair was looking at me.

"You were screaming." He stated. I covered my eyes with the hand I wasn't leaning on.

"I'm fine." I said, answering a question he didn't ask.

"I remember my first nightmares. They were terrible." He stated, staring at a point over my head. "Don't worry, though; it'll get better."

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"A little after dawn." Alistair answered.

"Can you wake everyone up and gather them by fire?"

"Right away." He said briskly and then left. As soon as he was gone I began running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame the unruly locks. After I encountered a particularly painful knot, I gave up and just braided it down the back. Sighing, I left my tent.

Everyone was standing around the campfire while Bodahn was frying slices of meat and eggs in a pan. I cleared my throat to get their attention and when they all looked up, I began.

"We'll be going to Redcliffe first, to secure Arl Eamon's soldiers. I believe that if we already have the beginnings of a force started, it will be easier to convince the Dalish, dwarves and mages to honor their treaties." I explained.

"When will we be leaving?" Leliana asked.

"As soon as we eat and pack up camp." I said. There was a general murmur of assent and everyone went back to what they were doing. While I was waiting for the food to be done, I packed up my tent and belongings and secured them to Bretta. I seemed to have inspired the others while I was going about my business because when I turned around, everyone else was packing up their things as well. Except for Morrigan who, despite our conversation last night, waved a hand and made her tent disappear only to show up again on the back of her horse.

When we were all done eating, we headed out. Unfortunately, we did not move as fast as we had been because of the caravan struggling to carry Sten. It took three nights before we got to Redcliffe and each night Alistair would come to my tent before bed, open his mouth as if to say something, then close it, shake his and leave. I was beginning to worry. On the fourth day of travel we came to the crest of a large rolling hill and saw it. The town of Redcliffe rested on the very southern edge of Lake Calenhad.

It wasn't a terribly prosperous town but it rested in a place of great strategic importance. Anyone who wanted to get to the heart of Fereldan had to pass through Redcliffe first. Beyond the town, on a cliff that jutted into the lake, was Redcliffe Castle; home and seat of Arl Eamon. I could see the arch that marked the path into the town and dismounted Bretta to lead her through when I felt a hand gently grab my arm.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Alistair asked. There was worry in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't answer but looked around to our companions who were all watching us. I got the hint and handed Bretta's reigns to Morrigan, then followed Alistair about ten yards to the left our party.

"What is it?" I questioned when he was sure we were out of earshot.

"I have something to tell you…"

"I gathered that much."

"It's something important…something that you need to know."

"Tell me, then."

"I'm a bastard."

"Why is that so important?"

"…"

"Alistair, spit it out already."

"It's important because my father is…is King Maric."

* * *

**A/N: **Dun, dun, duuuuun! There is chapter seven! Chapter eight should be up sometime within the next week, fret not. In the meantime, I'd like to tell you all that I'll be doing character Q & A's. You (the reader) send a question for any of the characters that are currently in the story and they will be answered by the characters to the best of their ability without being all spoilery. The answers to those questions will be posted at the end of the next chapter. So send 'em in!

I'd also like to thank **Musicalrain **and **Tachi Tsuki un **for your wonderful reviews! Just knowing that you guys like the story gives me strength to write the next chapter when all I want to do is take a nap (I currently have a cold). Love you guys!


	8. Redcliffe

"_**WHAT?!**_"

"My father was King Maric." Alistair repeated, shuffling uncomfortably.

"I heard you the first time!" I shouted.

"Then why…never mind."

"Why did you wait until now to tell me?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I thought you might treat me differently if you knew." He said, not meeting my eyes. I sighed.

"We need to see Arl Eamon. Let's go." I said. I didn't wait for him to respond before stalking off to everyone else and heading through the arch, leading Bretta.

We all followed the path down the deep slope of the hill, taking extra care to make sure the horses and the caravan did not lose their footing. Finally, we found flat ground in the market square. There were stalls of all kinds set up against the cliff that supported a tavern about twenty feet up. Vendors were calling to villagers milling about in the square to come buy their products. Children ran laughing through the crowds as their mothers stood around chatting.

The atmosphere was very welcoming. All of our companions seemed to be at ease; even Morrigan had a shadow of a smile on her face. As I was looking around I heard my stomach growl and decided we would eat before meeting with Eamon. I grabbed the arm of a child as he ran past and asked him if there was a place we could board the horses. He told there were large stables in a curve in the hill by the tavern.

"This is where we part ways, my lady." Bodahn said, turning to me. I smiled at him.

"It's been a pleasure Bodahn."

He led his caravan to an empty spot near the stalls and began to set up shop as I turned to my party and told them the plan. We made it up to the stables and I was pleasantly surprised. They were very nice stables in deed with a tall roof and large wide doors. I handed Bretta off to a stable boy who came rushing out to greet us and placed some coin in his hand as payment.

After the horses had been taken care of, the group headed up to the tavern. We had just made it in the door and I stopped to examine the place. It was just as full as the tavern in Lothering but significantly less rowdy and in much better shape. I scanned the crowd out of habit and my eyes caught on an elf. He was tall for an elf and was dressed in fine armor but didn't have the tattoos of the Dalish. He was hastily scribbling on a piece of paper and when he was done he rolled it up and stuck it in his pocket. He made his way toward us but never acknowledge our presence, even when he bumped into Leliana, knocking her over.

She would have hit the floor but Sten had been standing very close behind her and so she fell into him instead. The elf rushed out the door without a single word of apology. Maybe this tavern wasn't so different from Lothering after all. Morrigan pointed out an empty table with enough chairs for all of us. We grabbed it quickly and were greeted by a serving girl who took our orders. When Sten finally sat down in his chair it groaned and creaked, making us all eye it warily.

The serving girl returned, carrying our stews and a plate of sliced bread in an intricate balancing act on her arms. The food was delicious and it warmed my insides. No one was speaking while we all devoured our food (even Morrigan was less graceful than usual) so when a man rushed up to us and shouted we all jumped, Alistair spilling his stew.

"ALISTAIR!" The man yelled, clapping him on the back while Alistair attempted to mop up the mess he'd made.

"Teagan? What are you doing here?" Alistair asked, perplexed.

"I could ask the same of you, old friend." Teagan said, laughing a bit. "Who are all your friends?"

"Well, that's Sten and the lady next to him is Leliana. That one there is Morrigan and this is Eden…"

"Cousland. I remember you, though you were much younger the last time I saw you." He said with a small bow in my direction.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember you." I apologized.

"It's quite alright. You were a very little girl the last time your father brought you to court." Teagan said, a sad smile gracing his handsome features. "I am very sorry for your loss and I promise you, you will have Rainesfere at your back when you choose to exact justice."

"Teagan is Bann of Rainesfere and one of King Cailan's uncles." Alistair whispered in my ear.

"Thank you, Bann Teagan. But I'm afraid, now that I'm a Grey Warden, it is no longer my place to exact anything on my family's behalf." I said as politely as possible.

"Grey Warden?!" Teagan blurted, throwing all pretense out of the window.

"Yes, I took my Joining just before the battle at Ostagar." I informed him but was quickly hushed by a panicked look in his eyes.

"Do not talk of Ostagar here. It is not safe." Teagan threw a glance around the room to see if anyone had heard; it seemed we were in the clear. "Come, I shall take you to Eamon."

All six of us left the tavern with relative ease, though this didn't stop Bann Teagan from casting suspicious glances in all directions. When we were finally on our way up the steep hill and out of ear shot, Teagan began to talk.

"There has been terrible talk about. Teryn Loghain came back to Denerim from Ostagar with tales that the Grey Wardens had betrayed the King. That the Wardens used the battle with the darkspawn to kill Cailan and make it look like an accident. He's declared that any Warden that was at Ostagar should be arrested immediately and brought to him."

"And people are just believing him?!" Alistair growled.

"That's not the worst part. Loghain has declared himself the Queen's regent and is demanding that all the Arls and Banns bend knee to him so that we may defeat the darkspawn incursion." Teagan told us, a look of grave concern on his face.

"If he truly wanted to defeat the _Blight_, then he shouldn't have made Grey Wardens into criminals." Morrigan drawled.

As everyone talked about this newest development it occurred to me that on top of trying to unite forces that haven't had dealings like this in hundreds, if not thousands, of years we would also be getting chased across the kingdom by a back-stabbing upstart's army of soldiers.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in an attempt to ward off the headache that was building there. We had made it onto an expanse of flat ground that held a large windmill with a beautiful view of Redcliffe Castle when Bann Teagan held out his hand to stop our progress. He was looking in the direction that we had come from when we arrived in Redcliffe and I followed his line of sight to see a single man on atop a horse, holding a flag.

"His flag…" Alistair said.

"Loghain's sigil." Teagan confirmed. "Come with me."

He led us to the windmill in a brisk walk, throwing the door open with haste. When we were all inside, Teagan closed the door securely and began to speak.

"There is a passage that leads to Recliffe Castle from this windmill. The passage travels under the lake and goes into the dungeons of the castle. We must get into the castle before Loghain's emissary and make Eamon aware of what is going on. There is a trap door somewhere around here that my signet ring should open. We just need to find it."

With that, we all began search the floor of the windmill but it was Sten who found it first. He had been walking along, looking for the door when he stopped suddenly on a patch of straw.

"Here." He said simply.

Teagan rushed over to Sten and cleared the straw away with some help from Leliana. The door was made of old wood with a rusted iron lock at one end that Teagan immediately stuck his ring in, twisting it until there was a very distinct click. He lifted the door open to reveal a set of stone stairs that led into a dark tunnel.

"I'm afraid you'll have to bend over, my friend. The tunnel is not tall enough for you to stand." He said, turning to Sten who merely nodded.

"Now all we need is a torch…" Alistair mused, looking around the walls of the windmill for one.

"No need." Morrigan said as she held out her palm, producing a small fire in it.

"Follow me." Teagan said, descending the stairs.

The walk through the tunnel was a long, dark and chilly one. The walls were damp with moisture from the lake and smelled of mold. While we were walking, with Morrigan's light to guide us, conversation broke out.

"What do you think the emissary wants?" Alistair asked.

"Most likely to give the Arl a chance to declare for Teryn Loghain. It's good politics. If the Arl refuses to entertain Loghain's emissary, then he will be seen as unreasonable. People will think that his opposition of the Teryn is a personal matter instead of a political one, tarnishing the Arl's reputation." Leliana explained with clear expertise.

Alistair, Teagan and I all gave her skeptical looks.

"How do you…" Alistair began.

"Just an observation." She said, smiling.

"Are you from Orlais?" Teagan asked.

"I was born there, yes. But my mother was from Fereldan and I have always considered myself thus."

Teagan gave Leliana an appraising look for quite some time. The tunnel began to gently slope upward as we all drifted back to silence. Before long we came to a halt in front a large oaken door that looked ancient and thick. There was no visible keyhole or handle.

"How do we get in?" Alistair asked, looking for a way to get the door open.

I walked up to the door, running my fingers along the rough wood. Suddenly, the middle finger on my right hand brushed against something smooth and cold. I ran over it again, inspecting it with more fingers this time. It was round and seemed to be made of metal; there was an indention in the middle that was a smaller circle and had some sort of pattern that I couldn't make out with my fingers.

"Morrigan, can you bring your light closer to me?" I asked and she did. With more light I could see inside the indention and crouched down to get a closer look. In the center was a capital 'G' in curled lettering flanked by intricate wings on either side.

"Teagan, what is this?" I asked. He came forward and crouched down next to me to look.

"That's the Guerrin family crest, I must need to use my signet ring to open this door too." He said.

"Have you never been down here before?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"I walked the passage once when I was a boy with Eamon. He wanted me to know a safe way out of the castle in case the Orlesian noble family we took it back from decided they wouldn't leave without a fight." He said, the memory fogging his eyes. I cleared my throat and he shook himself back to reality.

"Right then." He said before sticking his ring into the indention, making sure to match the images. He twisted his arm one rotation to the right but there was no click like before. I glanced at Alistair who was already looking at me so I hastily averted my eyes. I was still angry with him. Teagan returned the lock to starting position and turned it to the left this time. We all (except Sten) breathed a collective sigh of relief when we heard the click.

Teagan pushed the door open and we found ourselves in the dimly lit dungeon of Redcliffe Castle. There was no one there so we were able to make our way through quickly enough. There was a set of stairs that led to another level, then a trap door that opened up to the main level of the castle.

Teagan led our rag tag group through the halls swiftly, hoping to beat Loghain's lackey to the Arl. As we passed, servants whispered to each other; most staring at Sten and his impressive size. We finally came up to a large door just off of the kitchens and I had expected to go through but Teagan held out an arm to halt my progress.

"It would be better if you waited here, my lady. There's no telling if the emissary is already in the hall." He explained at my questioning look.

So we waited. Ten minutes later Teagan returned. He cast a quick glance around the room to make sure we were truly alone before he spoke.

"The Arl welcomes you all to Redcliffe and requests that you take lodgings here until the problem with Loghain's emissary is dealt with." He snapped his fingers and a portly woman with deep auburn hair tied tightly in a bun came from around the corner. "This is Lorna. She runs the household and she'll escort you to your rooms."

Lorna smiled warmly at us, apparently unperturbed by Sten and gestured for us to follow her. As we made our way through the back rooms of the main floor, I took the opportunity to get a good look at our guide. Her clothes were plain but made of quality fabric and were quite clean. The Arl clearly took care of his servants.

Lorna led us to a rectangular room that had four doors; one on each wall. I turned to look at the way we had entered the room. It was a small archway that was artfully concealed by a rather large set of armor.

"This is the Seneschal's room," Lorna said, gesturing to a door on the left wall. "If you need anything and can't find me, the Seneschal would be glad to help you."

"That room down there is Arl Eamon's study." Alistair said, earning surprised looks from everyone.

"Yes, my lord. And the door behind us leads to the Hall. This door," Lorna walked to the door on the right wall, "leads to the upper floors which hold the guest rooms and the Lord's chambers."

She opened the door and started up a set of stairs while we all followed suit. Sten was deposited in the room closest to the stairs, Morrigan and Leliana had to share the room next to his (to Morrigan's great dismay) and Alistair was given a room around the corner and at the end of the hall. There was another door across the hall from Alistair's that Lorna opened for me.

"Here you are, my lady. Is there anything I can get for you?" She asked with a bright smile. I instantly thought of how I had looked when I met the King.

"Could I get a tub, hot water and soap, please? I would like to be presentable when I meet with the Arl." I told her.

"Of course, my lady." Lorna said with a small bow as she backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. I let out a deep sigh, examining the room as I made my way to the large bed. It was a stately room with beautiful tapestries adorning the walls and a very large fireplace that was roaring comfortably. There was a writing desk against the wall opposite the bed with a tall bookshelf next to it that was full of books.

There was a gentle knock at the door and several servants entered carrying a large brass tub and a cauldron full of water. I could see the steam rising in smoky tendrils from the surface of the water and was glad. I needed a good soak for my sore body. The water was dumped into the tub gently and a young girl stepped forward with a colored glass bottle in her hands.

She uncorked the bottle and poured a clear liquid into the water before grabbing a large stick with a fan at the end and began swirling it around inside the tub until bubbles began to form on the surface. Curiosity drove me closer to the young girl to ask her what she was doing but before I could open my mouth, Lorna reappeared.

"It's called a bubble bath. Arlessa Isolde is quite fond of them." She explained with a small sad smile.

"Why have I never heard of one before?" I asked. I was a Teryn's daughter after all, things of luxury like this were common among nobles.

"Bubble baths are a practice of Orlesian nobility and haven't become popular in Fereldan yet." She said with a smile and then clapped her hands together. All at once, the servants stopped what they were doing and left the room. Lorna was the last to leave, closing the door behind herself again.

I immediately stripped off my armor and then peeled the dirt encrusted leather away from my skin. I could smell lovely floral scents on the air and something warmer and sweet that I couldn't quite place. Eager beyond words, I removed my underclothes and slipped into the still steaming water. It was pure bliss. I could feel the dirt, sweat and grime slough off of my skin with each pass of the water.

I grabbed the sponge that had been sitting on a small tray next to the tub and dipped it in the water until it was saturated. I scrubbed the remaining dirt from my skin, taking special care to get it out from under my finger nails. Mother used to moan when I was a child and would show up to dinner with dirt under them.

Finally, I dunked my head beneath the water's surface, soaking my hair. When I resurfaced, I looked at the tray to see that there was another glass bottle sitting there. I picked the small thing up and read the lettering etched into it. _'Shampoo.'_ The word brought forth a memory of my father returning from a trip to Orlais. He had been laughing with Mother about a salesman trying to sell him something called shampoo.

That night before bed, I had asked my mother what shampoo was and she responded with a hearty laugh before saying it was something prissy Orlesian women used to clean and scent their hair. Sitting in the tub with the small bottle in my hands, I was struck by a sudden flight of fancy and uncorked it. I poured a generous amount into my hands and then began running it through my hair.

Bubbles started to form in my hair so I scrubbed harder and could feel my unruly locks begin to get softer. I scrubbed all over my head until there wasn't an area left that I hadnt already gotten to then submerged myself into the water to rinse it all out. Even though I had gotten myself clean, I stayed in the water for some time, taking a moment to relax. I knew those would be few and far between once we left Redcliffe.

After a nice long soak, I climbed from the tub and grabbed the long cloth, that one of the servants had left behind, to dry myself. I had just wrapped the cloth around my bare body when the same young servant came into the room, eyes downcast. In her arms she held a dress and some clean underclothes that she placed hastily on the bed for me before bowing and leaving the room, never once making eye contact. The dress was a lovely deep dark blue with silver embroidery around the collar, hem and bottom of the sleeves and a thick silver sash to be tied around my waist.

It had been a very long time since I had worn a dress like this, mostly preferring to be in my armor or leather jerkin but they were both too filthy to wear in front of the Arl. I just hoped he would take me seriously in this dress. I pulled on the underclothes and then the dress before walking over to the vanity near the fire place. I had never been one to put color on my eyes, lips or cheeks like some of the other noble women, so I ignored those tools and grabbed the brush instead. I tried desperately to tame my wild wavy hair but failed miserably.

I was debating whether or not to attempt to put my hair in one of Mother's braided buns when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." I called. I was expecting Lorna but it was Alistair instead. I raised one eyebrow at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Arl Eamon wants us to join him for dinner in a few hours. Loghain's emissary is staying at the inn so we won't have to worry about him." Alistair said. His voice was stern and eluded to a soldier used to giving reports but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes.

The anger that had been a steady flame in my chest, flickered a bit. I remembered Duncan's words, '_If nothing else, we will be your family._' I glanced at myself in the mirror; the cut that had been on my cheek that night was healing very nicely. The scar that would remain would be minimal and the split in my lip was completely gone.

"Alistair, I'm sorry that I've been keeping you at arm's length again. I was angry that you had kept that from me."

"I didn't think it would matter. My mother was base-born so it wasn't like I could inherit the throne or anything, I was just afraid it might come up while we were here." He said, shifting his weight.

"Why would it have come up?" I asked, all anger forgotten. Alistair shifted again and then walked further into the room before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"My mother was a serving girl here in Redcliffe Castle. She fell in love with my father when he came here to visit and they made me. Arl Eamon found out and when my mother died in child birth, he kept me and raised me, keeping my parentage a secret so Cailan wouldn't feel threatened."

"Oh…" I said, softly.

"Of course, that didn't matter much when he married Isolde. There were rumors that I was really Eamon's bastard and she resented me for it. So when I was ten, Eamon shipped me off to the Chantry to be a templar." Alistair said with so much bitterness in his voice that I drew back a bit.

"I'm sorry." I said, not only apologizing for my behavior but for his past as well. He looked at me and gave me a weak smile, letting me know that I was forgiven.

"It smells really good in here." Alistair said suddenly, breathing deeply with his nose in the air. I smiled.

"It's the bath. Apparently putting scented soap in your bath water is all the rage in Orlais." I said, slipping into a pair of flat shoes. They weren't my usual boots, but at least they weren't dainty heels. As I got closer to him, I noticed that Alistair was also cleaner than usual. Perhaps Lorna thought that we could all use a good scrubbing.

We spent the remaining hours going over strategies for gaining the support of the elves, dwarves and mages. I knew quite a bit about dwarven politics because of Father's dealings with them, but I was woefully uninformed about the mages and elves. Alistair was surprisingly helpful when it came to the mages but knew little about the elves as well.

We decided that our party would go to them first. Better to get the most difficult out of the way first. Finally, we left my room and met Leliana, Morrigan and Sten. Leliana and Morrigan were both in dresses similar to mine, the latter pawing at the fabric in a manner that suggested she wished there were less of it.

The hall had a long table set in the center of it and at the head sat the Arl of Redcliffe. Teagan was on his left and the rest of the seats were empty and waiting. A thin man with gray hair held back by a tie came over to me and guided me into the seat at Arl Eamon's right.

I sat down and Alistair joined me on my right while Leliana took the seat next to Teagan (who blushed). Morrigan chose to sit next to Leliana rather than Alistair which left Sten to take a seat on our side. As soon as everyone was settled, the Arl spoke.

"First, I would like to say that you have my deepest condolences on the loss of your family, Lady Eden. Your father was a great man and an old friend. I will ensure that Howe pays for his crimes." He said, looking me directly in the eye.

"Thank you, my lord, but I come to you today as a Grey Warden seeking aid in the Blight." I said, getting down to business. At my words, the Arl broke his gaze to look at the empty plate in front of him.

"Ah…yes. I am aware of what transpired in Ostagar and while I assure you that my loyalties will not be going to Loghain, I am afraid that I will not be able to help you."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. I had finally gotten over my cold and less than a day later, I caught another one. But I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Things will be picking up a bit more from this point on, both in action and emotion. :) Thank you for the reviews and the questions! Here are the answers:

**Alistair, what's the real reason you're using the Cousland family sword and shield?**

**A:** I don't know. It just...feels right.

**Sten, are you always so scary or is it a habit?**

**S: **I do not intend to indimidate. (a/n: its a habit. ;D)

I might do another Q & A around the tenth chapter but that depends on reviews and how much time I'll have. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for more!


	9. A Deal With the Arl

I stared at the Arl for what seemed like hours while Alistair made small sputtering noises beside me. Teagan was looking into his lap, his face was unreadable stone. Morrigan was watching the exchange with mild interest while Leliana did her best not to watch. Sten seemed not to care at all and was examining the ceiling of the hall.

"But Eamo- …I mean, my lord your troops will be a great bolster to our attempts to gain the support of the Dalish and the Dwarves." Alistair explained. Eamon looked at him then with a measure of hurt in his eyes.

"I am aware of that, but I cannot let my troops leave when I am distracted from the protection of my arling."

"If I might be so bold as to ask, why are you distracted my lord?" I interjected. Eamon sighed heavily then and looked to Teagan who gave him a slight nod.

"My son, Connor has recently been discovered to be a mage. Just a few weeks ago, mages from the Circle arrived to take Connor away for study and my wife, Isolde, has been inconsolable since. She does not speak to anyone, does not eat, and barely sleeps. I am terribly concerned for her well-being and I cannot give my full attention to anything else until she is better." He explained.

I was at a loss for words. Through all my trainings, never once did I learn about how to cure a deep sadness. I looked to Alistair and saw conflicting emotions crossing his face. Suddenly, Leliana cleared her throat and earned everyone's attention.

"My lord, may I make a suggestion?" She said politely.

"Of course." Eamon allowed.

"I heard from some of the servants that your wife is Orlesian and I know that a sadness such as this is only something that can be cured by the Maker. Perhaps you can send her to the cathedral in Val Royeux for counseling from the Holy Divine? No doubt seeing her family would do her well." Leliana finished. That girl was a constant mystery to me. Eamon stared at her a moment, seeming to consider her suggestion.

"What is your name, my dear?" He asked.

"Leliana, my lord."

"Well, Leliana, that is a very smart suggestion. I shall talk to Isolde about this tonight and I will give you an answer in the morning. For now, we eat." He said and clapped his hands together.

At once, servants entered the room carrying trays of food and began to serve us. The girl who had brought my shampoo came by with a jug of wine in her arms and poured me a generous amount. We spent the rest of the evening feasting and talking strategies until the wine began to take its toll and then Teagan started sharing stories about Alistair's youth including one about a cat, a pig and a mud bank that had everyone laughing.

A little while later, Eamon took his leave followed shortly by Morrigan and Sten. Teagan said he needed a stroll through the courtyard and asked Leliana to join him. She blushed and accepted, leaving Alistair and I sitting at the table alone. Alistair emptied the contents of his goblet with one swig and then turned to me.

"Look, I want to apologize. I kept something from you that I shouldn't have and I understand why you were angry. I swear to you, it won't happen again."

"Thank you, Alistair." I told him, a gentle smile gracing my lips. The wine was coursing through my veins and made me feel very warm. Alistair was staring at me with his deep brown eyes. He reached a hand up and slowly tucked a loose wave of hair behind my ear. His hand brushed against my ear and his fingers lingered on the edge of my jaw. Pleasant shivers rushed across my skin at his touch.

"Pardon me, my lord and lady. Would you like your beds prepared for sleeping before the servants rest for the night?" Lorna asked from a corner of the room. I jumped and Alistair removed his hand.

"Yes, Lorna. Thank you." I answered over my shoulder. Alistair stood and made for the door leading to the rooms.

"Goodnight, Eden."

"Goodnight."

I sat at the table for a few moments longer, trying to gather my thoughts but soon found that it was useless and resigned myself to go to sleep. The trek to my room seemed longer than it had the first time around and by the time I walked in the door, I was exhausted. I pulled the lovely dress over my head and laid it out on the vanity, not wanting to leave something so nice crumpled on the floor. The room cooled significantly as I was only wearing my underclothes so I stoked the fire a bit more.

As I was doing this, I noticed that my armor and leather jerkin were missing from the room. Perhaps Lorna had taken them to be cleaned, Maker knows they needed it. Warmth began to seep into my skin from the fire and I took the opportunity to stretch a bit, exposing more of myself to the cozy flames. Suddenly the door opened.

"Eden, about earlier…"

Alistair had burst into the room without knocking. I yelped, taken by surprise and tried to use my normally superior dexterity to jump behind the bookcase but the wine had made me slow and unsteady and I crashed into the edge of it as I passed, sending several books to the floor.

"ALISTAIR!" I shouted from my cover.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't…you just…I'm gonna…bye." He stammered backing out with his eyes shielded and closing the door behind him.

When I was sure that he was gone I let out a deep breath. This was more than enough excitement for the night and I walked across the room as fast as possible without actually running and slipped into bed. Laying my head down, I smiled thinking about my childhood with Fergus. He had never walked in on me when I was in my underclothes; in fact he made it a point to avoid me at the end of the evening though Mother always said it was because I got cranky when I was tired.

This little group I had was proving to be very interesting. With thoughts swirling in my mind, sleep came over me. My dreams were filled with dragons, nobles and a pair of deep brown eyes. I was woken by a sudden brightness and cracking my eyes open, I saw Lorna pulling the drapes from the windows in my room.

"Sorry to wake you so early, my lady but the Arl wishes to speak with you in his study." Lorna informed me. She then set about to laying some clothes on the bed for me.

Another dress, this one a dark green with gold stitching. I dressed as quickly as possible, and then braided my messy hair into a single braid down the back. I had hoped that I would be able to wear my armor when the Arl gave me his answer but it hadn't come back from being cleaned yet. As Lorna led me down to the Arl's study, I thought to ask her when my armor would be back but before I could we arrived at a door. Lorna knocked twice and waited for Eamon to welcome her in.

I was greeted by Eamon, who was sitting at his desk, rifling through papers.

"Please, Eden, have a seat." He said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk. I sat, but stayed at the edge of my seat.

"My lord, have you spoken to Lady Isolde?" I asked, wanting an answer sooner rather than later.

"I have. She'll leave for Val Royeux tomorrow and I will be able to give you my soldiers."

I could just pick out the small smile underneath Eamon's beard.

"Further more, I have commissioned our blacksmith to fashion new armor for you and your companions. We can't have our champions running about in second rate armor."

"Thank you, I…"

"There was something else I wanted to discuss with you; the reason I had you brought down here alone. I trust you know about Alistair's parentage?" I nodded.

"If we are to defeat the Blight, we'll need the full support of all the nobles in the country. Loghain, as traitorous as he is, still has quite a few allies. His support lies in the fact that his daughter is the Queen. What we need is someone with a stronger claim to the throne than Anora, someone who has royal blood, someone like Alistair."

I knew Eamon was right, but I was less sure why he was telling me this and not Alistair.

"I agree." I told him, keeping my questions to myself for now.

"When you've recruited all the allies that you need, send word to me and I'll call for a Landsmeet. We'll have to have Alistair in Denerim for the Landsmeet; you'll make sure he gets there?" At his question, Eamon looked up at me and I could see in his eyes that it was more than a simple request for punctuality. He wanted me to keep Alistair safe.

"I will."

"Good, oh and if you wouldn't mind, could you give this to Alistair for me? He left it here when he was a boy." Eamon opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a small silver emblem of Andraste's fire and dropped the cool metal into my waiting hand. There were several small cracks in the amulet and it looked as though it had been pieced back together painstakingly.

"Of course."

"I'll send for you and your friends when the armor is ready." He said, dismissing me. Having no where to put the amulet, I dropped it into my breast bindings until I could give it to Alistair and headed for the Hall for something to eat.

When I walked in I was greeted by Lorna, who told me the cook would have food up soon and that my other companions were training in the front courtyard. I followed her instructions and found myself standing at the top of a large set of stairs. A sudden gust of wind from the lake whipped my dress around my legs and the few strands of hair that had escaped from the braid flowed freely around my face.

I looked down at the people in the courtyard. Sten was sparring with Alistair; Leliana was shooting targets with a bow and arrows while Morrigan stood off to the side, watching them all with a small look of disdain on her face. I thought back to what the Arl had told me about putting Alistair forth for the throne and to the smooth piece of metal resting against my skin. Now was as good a time as any.

"Alistair!" I called down to him. He stopped to look up at me and didn't notice that Sten was still coming toward him. I watched as Sten barreled into Alistair, knocking him on his back and couldn't help the laugh that fell from my lips. Sten immediately helped Alistair regain his footing, before making his way toward me.

"I'm glad my pain is so amusing." He grumbled.

"So am I." I retorted, smiling. "But I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" He asked, dropping all hints of amusement at the look on my face.

"I just had a chat with the Arl about the best way to dethrone Loghain."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He made a very good point that the support Loghain has is mostly dependant on the fact that his daughter is the Queen." I recited Eamon's words.

"Well then, we really need to dethrone Anora…but how would we do that?" He questioned. I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

"We need to put forth a candidate that has a better claim to the throne…"

It didn't take long for Alistair to realize that he was that candidate and when he did, the outrage on his face was clear.

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Alistair, please just consider…"

"No, Eden! I've spent my entire life being told that my lineage meant nothing, that I would never amount to anything and that I would never hold any position of power and I'm fine with that!" We now had the attention of everyone in the courtyard and a few serving girls had stuck their heads out of windows to get a glimpse.

"I don't want to be King; I'm not good enough to lead a country! All I can do is fight and follow orders and that's all I'm going to do!" He yelled and then stormed into the castle, leaving me behind. So that was why Eamon told me and not Alistair. I started to go after him, wanting to yell at him that it didn't matter what he wanted and that it was his duty to accept, but a soft hand gripped my shoulder with surprising strength and I turned to see Leliana giving me a look that clearly said to let Alistair go.

I shifted from foot to foot and when I did, the amulet in my bindings shifted to expose some of the cooler parts to my skin.

"Lorna!" I shouted, bursting in through the front door of the hall, searching for her.

She appeared a few seconds later, looking very harried.

"What is it, my lady?" She asked with a small curtsey. I reached into my bindings and pulled the amulet out, while Lorna averted her eyes.

"Who did this amulet belong to?" I asked, showing it to her. She took the amulet, turning it over in her hands before handing it back to me.

"That belonged to Sir Alistair's mother. He broke it when he was told he would be leaving for the Chantry, though it seems someone has put it back together."

"Thank you, Lorna!" I exclaimed, dashing for the stairs.

"My lady?" Lorna called after me, confused.

I knew that giving this to Alistair now, had two outcomes. It would either remind him of his upbringing and further his assertions that he wouldn't be King, or it would soften his anger enough for me to talk him into thinking about accepting his new role. As I reached the door to Alistair's room, I sincerely hoped it would be the latter.

I knocked on the door and after a few moments, I got a response.

"What?" Alistair's sullen voice called through the door.

"Can I come in?" I asked, trying my best to sound contrite.

Silence greeted my question until the door swung open, revealing an angry looking Alistair. He stepped to the side and I took the opportunity to walk as far into the room as I could before he changed his mind.

He closed the door behind me and stared, waiting for me to say my piece. Instead, I held out the amulet for him to see.

"I know this belonged to your mother. I thought you might want it back."

Alistair's mouth hung open in shock for a few moments before he rushed forward and grabbed the chain from me.

"I thought I lost it. How did you find it?" He asked, examining it more closely.

"Eamon gave it to me." I answered. I could see the anger in his eyes begin to melt away and knew that this was my chance.

"Just give the idea of being King some thought, please?" I requested. Alistair sat down on the edge of his bed, thumbing the amulet. Knowing he would need time, I left the room and made my way down to the Hall for food. Once I had eaten my fill, I returned to my room to find another bath set out for me.

Not one to waste a good opportunity, I slipped into the warm water and washed my hair again. While I was relaxing, someone knocked at my door.

"My lady? I have the armor the Arl commissioned for you." Lorna said through the door.

"Bring it in." I told her. She scurried into the room carrying the new set of armor and placed it on the armor stand, then laid the new leather jerkin on the bed for me, all the while keeping her eyes glued to the floor. Lorna left before I could thank her.

I got out the tub and wrapped a cloth around myself, walking over to the stand to examine my new armor. Even at a glance the new armor was stunning. It was made of a shiny black metal that, while thick, was deceptively light and had a gryphon on the chest in a bright silver inlay. The shoulder guards interlocked with the chest plates in a way that made movement a lot easier and the greaves and boots were the same shiny black metal as the chest plates.

Eamon spared no expense and I wasted no time in getting the new armor on. It fit perfectly, down to the last stitch in the leather jerkin. I had a full range of motion but it seemed that every time I would lift a limb and expose a vulnerable spot, I found another bit of armor protecting it. I picked up my daggers, sheathing them and made my way to the others' rooms. I yelled through each door that we would be leaving within the hour. We'd spent enough time in Redcliffe.

I found Lorna and told her to inform the Arl of our departure and to send someone down to the stables to retrieve our horses and Dracarius. The poor spoiled beast was probably miserable that he'd had to spend the night in the stables. I started to laugh a bit.

"What's so funny?" I whipped around at the sound of his voice.

"Alistair?" He shifted uncomfortably when I said his name.

"I wanted to thank you for giving this back to me." He said, holding out the amulet.

"It was no trouble, really." I said. A hint of a smile played on Alistair's lips and then he did something that shocked me speechless. He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around my middle, embracing me tightly.

My mind went numb as it was bombarded with a myriad of sensations and I found my arms reacting of their own accord. The snaked up his broad chest and coiled themselves around his neck, returning the embrace. His fingertips pressed into the small of my back as if he were trying to hold on even tighter and my heart hammered in my chest. He pulled his head back and the look in his eyes was indecipherable.

Alistair was getting closer and closer to my face; my heart was beating so loud I was sure he could hear it too. A tiny giggle permeated the sensory haze I was in and I jerked, causing Alistair to let go and take several steps backward. Just then Lorna came bustling around the corner.

"My lady, the horses are ready for you and your companions and the Arl is waiting for you in the courtyard. Should I fetch Sir Sten and Ladies Leliana and Morrigan?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you Lorna." She left and Alistair looked at me.

"We should go." I said, not giving him a chance to mention what ever just happened. Alistair followed me through the corridors and out into the courtyard where Arl Eamon was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Eden, Alistair; I hope your stay here was a good one because the road ahead is difficult and you'll need all your strength." He told us, with a grave smile on his face.

"Thank you, my lord. For everything." Alistair said. While they shared an awkward silence, I waited near Bretta for the rest of our group. It wasn't long before our new comrades joined us, each sporting their own brand new sets of armor even Morrigan, though she seemed less than pleased that she was so well covered now.

"I have one last gift for you before you leave." Eamon clapped his hands and a young man brought two horses to our sides. He handed a honey colored mare to Leliana and gave Sten the reigns to a grey stallion that was twice the size of our horses.

"He's from the Anderfels. Bred to carry heavy loads across treacherous mountain passes. A traveling trader sold him to the stable keep so he would have enough money to buy passage to Antiva. That same day he kicked a man's skull in and no one has been brave enough to try to ride him since." Eamon supplied.

"He will do. Thank you." Sten stated simply. With that, we all mounted our steeds and I turned to Eamon, voicing one last thanks before nudging Bretta forward and leaving Redcliffe behind.

We rode for the remainder of the day, stopping just near the south eastern end of Lake Calenhad when the sun started to dip below the trees and the chill in the air became too much for my stiff body to take. While Sten, Leliana and Morrigan set up camp, Alistair and I trudged off into the surrounding area searching for something to kill for dinner.

Together, Alistair and I tracked down a large buck that was grazing in a small meadow. We crouched in silence while Alistair readied his bow and positioned himself for the kill. The poor thing was so at ease, unaware of the danger just downwind from him. Alistair pulled back the string of the bow and my blood thrummed with excitement and anticipation. Just as he was about to loose the arrow, the buck jerked its head up with wild eyes and looked in our direction. Alistair froze, clearly thinking he had alerted the creature to our presence. The buck bolted from the clearing and Alistair let go of the arrow, hoping in vain to slay the animal. The arrow wedged firmly in a tree trunk.

I began going through a mental list of where we could have gone wrong when I heard the sound of rustling leaves and quick footfalls. I barely had time to grab the hilt of one of my daggers before a young, blonde woman came bursting through the bushes, fear written in every corner of her face.

"HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE!"

* * *

**I am SOOOOOOOOO so terribly sorry it took me this long to update. I had a really bad case of writers block, but that's no excuse. I hope this long chapter makes up for my mini hiatus. Please review and let me know what you think, it's been a while since I've written for this story and I'm sure I'm rusty. Thank you all for the patience! **


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